Algérie Presse Service (APS) – December 26, 2011
Algeria was unanimously elected to chair the 2012 annual meetings of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons. The election took place on the margins of proceedings of the Review Conference of Member States to the convention, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 5-22 December, 2011.

Algeria’s candidacy was proposed by the group of Non Aligned Countries.

Algeria’s election is “recognition of the role and commitment” of Algeria in support of disarmament and non-proliferation, more particularly weapons of mass destruction, in various regional and international forums.

The convention on the prohibition of development, building and storage of bacteriological (biological) or toxin-based weapons and on their destruction is the first multilateral instrument adopted in 1972 by the international community with the goal of total elimination of a category of weapons of mass destruction.

The convention includes 165 party states and 12 signatories. Algeria joined the convention in July 2001.