UNODC and Terrorism Prevention

 

 

Terrorism has been of concern to the international community since 1937 when the League of Nations adopted the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism. Subsequently, the United Nations and other international and regional inter-governmental organizations have dealt with terrorism from a legal and political perspective. Since 1963, the international community has developed international legal instruments related to the prevention and suppression of international terrorism, which, along with relevant Resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, constitute the international legal regime against terrorism.  In  September 2006, UN Member States agreed to coordinate their counter-terrorism efforts, as well as gathering the broad array of programmes, offices and agencies of the UN engaged in counterterrorism activities under the UN Global Strategy, which provides a common strategic and operational framework to fight terrorism.

For many years, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been making a critical contribution to the fight against international terrorism and enhancing Member States' capacity for international cooperation in this field. In 2002, the General Assembly approved a strengthened programme of activities for the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB). This reinforced programme focuses on providing assistance to States, upon request, in the legal and related aspects of counter-terrorism, especially for ratifying and implementing the international legal instruments against terrorism and 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. In addition, the branch provides substantive input on counter-terrorism issues to intergovernmental bodies and it coordinates its work with other relevant actors both within the UN and outside organizations.

 

" Reaffirming that acts, methods and practices of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations are activities aimed at the destruction of human rights,fundamental freedoms and democracy, threatening territorial integrity, security of States and destabilizing legitimately constituted Governments, and that the international community should take the necessary steps to enhance cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism".

United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy Adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September 2006 ( resolution 60/288) (pdf)