Signed in 1972, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons. Currently, 170 countries are States Parties to the BTWC. Meetings of States Parties and experts are convened annually in order to discuss measures to increase biosafety, monitoring, training and exchange of experiences. At the latest meeting of States Parties in December 2013 in Geneva, the programme of work until the next Review Conference to be held in 2016 was agreed. In contrast to the Chemical Weapons Convention, the BTWC has no verification mechanism. Negotiations on the creation of such a mechanism failed in 2001 and were not renewed since.