The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction was opened for signature by the world’s nations on April 10, 1972. The goal of the Biological Weapons Convention, as it is commonly known, was, and remains, to rid the world of biological weapons, primarily viruses, bacteria, fungi, rickettsias, and protozoa that are designed to kill or incapacitate people or, in some instances, to infect crops or livestock. The convention also targets toxins, meaning any harmful substances produced from living organisms. The document went into effect on March 26, 1975, after the first twenty-two signatories to the agreement had submitted their legislatures’ ratifications. Over the ensuing years additional nations signed the convention, such that the number of signatories reached 185 by February 2023.