The international community has developed 19 legal instruments against terrorism* that provide overarching legal guidance to counter-terrorism efforts around the world. For this framework to function effectively, universal adherence to all its components is necessary. By becoming party to the 19 international legal instruments against terrorism, Member States create pathways for the criminalization of terrorist offences at the national level and partake in the international cooperation mechanisms to ensure that terrorists and their accomplices are brought to justice.
In 2019, Kazakhstan and Turkey became the third and fourth countries in the world to ratify, accede or otherwise become party to all 19 international legal instruments against terrorism. In doing so, they have joined the Dominican Republic, which, in 2016, was the first country to attain universal adherence, and Côte d'Ivoire, which finalised this process in 2017.
UNODC commends the governments of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Turkey for this effort that showcases their commitment to strengthening the international legal regime against terrorism.
At the request of Member States, UNODC provides assistance on becoming party to the 19 instruments and incorporating the provisions of the international counter-terrorism legal framework into national legislation. Overall, 40 instruments of ratification, accession, approval, acceptance or signature were deposited by the UN Member States regarding the 19 international legal instruments against terrorism in 2019. This brings the total adherence rate of these instruments to 66,8%. To track the status of adherence to the instruments, as well as showcase the regional counter-terrorism frameworks, UNODC maintains a counter-terrorism treaties database hosted on the online UNODC SHERLOC Portal.
*The 19 international legal instruments against terrorism are: