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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been addressing issues pertaining to international terrorism and related international cooperation for many years. In 2002, the General Assembly approved an expanded programme of activities for the Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) of UNODC. This programme focuses on the provision of assistance to Member States, upon request, in the legal and related aspects of counter-terrorism, especially for ratifying and implementing the international legal instruments against terrorism and for strengthening the capacity of the national criminal justice systems to apply the provisions of these instruments in compliance with the principles of rule of law and international human rights standards. The counter-terrorism technical assistance delivered by UNODC also helps countries to comply with the requirements of Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004). In addition, the Branch's programme of work entails the provision of substantive input on counter-terrorism issues to intergovernmental bodies, especially the Crime Commission, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The Branch also provides specialized input on relevant counter-terrorism issues for the United Nations' Secretariat wide initiatives and further coordinates its activities with other entities and organizations.
Since 2002, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice have reiterated the mandates (pdf) of TPB in providing technical assistance to counter terrorism.
The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September 2006 ( Resolution A/RES/60/288), calls upon UNODC to enhance its provision of technical assistance to Member States and encourages Member States to resort to the technical assistance delivered by the Office. General Assembly resolutions 62/272 and 64/297 reaffirmed the Strategy, called again upon Member States to become parties to the existing international conventions and protocols against terrorism and asked UNODC to intensify its provision of technical assistance to Member States for the ratification and implementation of the international conventions and protocols related to terrorism.
In 2009, UNODC/TPB's mandate was further strengthened in the area of assistance to states in developing programmes of assistance and support to victims of terrorism ( UNGA resolution 64/168). The enhanced mandate involves the role of victims in the criminal justice system, and the comprehensive support based on legal national practices and mechanisms that should be afforded to them. At its 20 th session in April 2011, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice ( E/CN.15/2011/21) reaffirmed the mandate of UNODC/TPB, requesting UNODC, within its mandate, to continue to develop specialized legal knowledge in the area of counter-terrorism and pertinent thematic areas of relevance to the mandate of the Office, to provide assistance to requesting Member States with regard to criminal justice responses to terrorism, including, where appropriate, nuclear terrorism, the financing of terrorism and the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, as well as assistance to and support for victims of terrorism.UNODC possesses significant comparative advantages for delivering assistance in counter-terrorism. In particular, it combines a range of expertise in the related areas of crime prevention and criminal justice, rule of law, drug control, transnational organized crime, money-laundering, corruption and related international cooperation in criminal matters with operational field-level capacity.
In pursuance of its mandates, TPB seeks to respond promptly and efficiently to requests from States for assistance in the legal and related aspects of countering terrorism.For a full description of UNODC/TPB's mandate and activities please click on the link below for the Branch's Brochure, available in all six of the UN official languages:
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The Programmatic Framework for UNODC's counter-terrorism work
Under the United Nations Strategic Framework for the period 2010-2011, UNODC facilitates policy-making on issues relating to drug control, crime and terrorism prevention and the ratification of, and compliance with, the related international legal instruments, complemented by its work in research and analysis and technical assistance.
The objectives and results that UNODC seeks to achieve in pursuance of its mandates are established under the UNODC Strategy for the period 2008-2011. Under the theme of rule of law, the main objectives include the promotion of "effective responses to crime, drugs and terrorism by facilitating the implementation of relevant international legal instruments". The UNODC /TPB's specific areas of activity under the theme of rule of law are therefore: "ratification and implementation of conventions and protocols"; "international cooperation in criminal justice matters"; "criminal justice systems - more accessible and effective"; and "terrorism prevention".
UNODC's counter-terrorism activities are pursued under a thematic programme on terrorism prevention, which is based on and corresponds to the above relevant elements of the United Nations Strategic Framework for the period 2010-2011 and the UNODC Strategy for the period 2008-2011. It also corresponds to the Security Council resolutions pertaining to counter-terrorism, especially Resolution 1373 (2001). The thematic programme provides the framework for UNODC to plan and deliver, in an effectively coordinated manner, integrated services in terrorism prevention that incorporate well the closely linked and cross-cutting aspects of crime and drug prevention, criminal justice and international cooperation, falling under the mandates and mission of UNODC.
Activities pursued under this thematic programme are complemented and supported by UNODC activities under other relevant thematic, regional and country programmes and the relevant elements of the Office's programme of work under the regular budget of the United Nations, especially of TPB.