Diplomatic and Technical Challenges of Verifying Compliance with the CWC and BWC

Abstract: Since the beginning of the Syrian chemical weapons crisis in 2013, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has undertaken unprecedented efforts to investigate and attribute responsibility for chemical weapons use in Syria. After two decades of political inertia since the failed protocol negotiations, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) forum in December 2022 launched an expert working group to consider measures for strengthening implementation of the BWC, including legally binding verification measures. What can the BWC learn from the CWC experience?

Bio: Ambassador Kenneth D. Ward has over 37 years of experience in WMD arms control, primarily regarding biological and chemical weapons. He has served in the Department of State, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Central Intelligence Agency. Ambassador Ward currently serves as the U.S. Special Representative to the Biological Weapons Convention. Previously, he served from 2016-2020 as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Ambassador Ward received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. He also received a master's degree in international relations from Oxford University and a bachelor's degree in international politics from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.