Overview
The eighth session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention will take place from 9 to 13 February 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Working Group will be chaired by H.E. Frederico S. Duque Estrada Meyer of Brazil. The Vice-Chairs of the Working Group are H.E. Ambassador Anne Lazar-Sury of France and Mr. Irakli Jgenti of Georgia.
The meeting will convene in the Tempus Building on 9 February 2026 and Assembly Hall on 10-13 February 2026 of the Palais des Nations, United Nations Office at Geneva. Sessions will take place from 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00.
Officers
Chairperson of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention
H.E. Mr. Frederico S. Duque Estrada Meyer, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the Conference on Disarmament
Ambassador Frederico Meyer has served at the Brazilian Embassies in Iraq (1980-1983), in the Soviet Union (1985-1989), at the Brazilian Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva (1989-1993 and 1998-2003), in Guyana (1993), in Cuba (1995-1998), at the Mission to the UN in New York (2003-2006). He has been Ambassador to Kazakhstan (cumulative with Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan) (2006-2011), Ambassador to Morocco (2011-2015), Alternate Permanent Representative to the UN in New York (2017-2019), Consul General in Guangzhou (2019-2023) and Ambassador to Israel (2023-2024).The Vice-Chairs of the Working Group are H.E. Mrs. Anne Lazar Sury of France and Mr. Irakli Jgenti of Georgia.
Secretariat
Secretary of the Working Group
Mr. Daniel Feakes
+41 (0)22 917 2230
daniel.feakes@un.org
Deputy Secretary of the Working Group
Mr. Alex Lampalzer
+41 (0)22 917 3676
hermann.lampalzer@un.org
Side event focal point
Ms. Clarissa Rios Rojas
+41 (0)22 917 4408
clarissa.riosrojas@un.org
