On June 25-26, 2025, the Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Foreign Office organized a workshop „UNSGM in Dialogue”. This workshop brought together German experts from various scientific and policy fields, including rostered experts for the UN Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical, Biological and Toxin Weapons (UNSGM), for an exchange of experiences, information and updates related to the UNSGM. Una Jakob gave a presentation on the legal and political context of this mechanism. Following an overview of the history of the biological weapons prohibition, she explained how the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) provide the legal foundation and one of the political frameworks, respectively, for the UNSGM and the ongoing efforts to strengthen it. She also discussed challenges and the current relevance of UNSGM investigations in the biological field.