Author: Aarzoo Dhindsa, Student of BBA. LL.B. (H) at Symbiosis Law School, Pune
ABSTRACT
“The ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry, but they cannot kill ignorance, illness, poverty or hunger.”
― Fidel Castro
This policy document explores a forward-looking legal framework focused on deterring and holding states accountable for the development and use of biological weapons, arguably the most accessible and insidious class of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). This policy integrates interdisciplinary theory with practical measures for legal accountability, strategic deterrence, and technological oversight. The core pillars of the proposal are enhanced transparency, attribution capacity, and accountability enforcement. They are structured around international cooperation and national legislative reform. The policy proposes the creation of a multilateral body, the International Biological Weapons Accountability Council (IBWAC), with investigatory powers and jurisdiction under an amended Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). By addressing gaps in the existing biosecurity architecture, this policy aims to build credible deterrents, operational oversight mechanisms, and a global legal norm that no state can ignore.
Keywords– Biosecurity, WMD, Biological Weapons, Biowarfare, Genomic Surveillance.
