UNODC Events

2023

 

Since 2018, UNODC has been working with the Government of Albania to promote and facilitate their adherence to ICSANT. After depositing its instrument of ratification with the United Nations Secretary-General on 21 August 2023, Albania will now become the 121st party to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) on 20 September 2023. Read More >

 

With a view to promoting greater adherence to this Convention, UNODC conducted a country visit to Brunei Darussalam on 27 June 2023 in cooperation with the country’s Prime Minister’s Office. During the visit, UNODC held a meeting with around 30 stakeholders from various institutions (Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ministry of Defence, Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Safety, Health and Environment National Authority). Read More >

Under the European Union-funded project “Union support to promote the universalization and effective implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism” and recognizing the importance of bringing together stakeholders from the same region, UNODC conducted several regional workshops, most recently in Bangkok, Thailand on 21-22 June 2023. Read More >

On 30 May–1 June 2023, UNODC co-organized the tabletop exercise “Snow Leopard” in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, which aimed to identify and demonstrate effective regional and international cooperation mechanisms for investigating and prosecuting radiological and nuclear crimes. Read More >

On 8-10 May 2023, UNODC conducted a workshop on promoting the universalization and effective implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism for the Pacific region, which gathered participants from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Read More >

Nuclear technology is applied safely and peacefully in several ways across the globe; however, it may also be misused for terrorist or other criminal purposes. To prevent and suppress offences involving nuclear or other radioactive material, it is essential that all States establish a strong legal framework Read More >

UNODC held a regional workshop in Vienna on 21-22 March 2023 to support Member States' efforts in strengthening the capacities of their criminal justice systems for the effective implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) in South-Eastern European countries Read More >

On 14-15 March 2023, UNODC contributed expertise at a workshop organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), jointly with the Government of Kenya and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), for IGAD Member States (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda). Read More >

On 16-17 February 2023, UNODC contributed to a high-level meeting on facilitating adherence to the A/CPPNM in Africa organized by the African Center for Science and International Security (AFRICSIS) in Accra. Read More >

On 14 February 2023, as part of its outreach efforts to promote the universalization of this key legal instrument, UNODC conducted a country visit to the Republic of Maldives, with a view to encouraging the country’s policy and decision-makers to consider adhering to the Convention. Read More >

On 7 February 2023, UNODC contributed to a national workshop for Mauritius to raise awareness on nuclear security for senior officials in the country. Read More >

2022

To commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the Convention’s entry into force, on 12 December 2022 UNODC, the Government of Canada and the European Union (EU) co-hosted a high-level event to discuss progress made since then, celebrate the Convention’s successes, and chart the future of promoting ICSANT and strengthening the global nuclear security architecture. Read More >

On 6-7 December 2022, UNODC conducted a national workshop for Ghana to support the universalization and effective implementation of ICSANT under a project funded by the European Union. Read More >

UNODC, with the financial and in-kind support of the Government of Canada, held a pilot criminal investigation and mock trial training exercise on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) on 29 November - 1 December 2022. Read More >

Effective protection of nuclear and other radioactive material - to ensure that they are not misused for criminal purposes - needs to rest on a robust legal foundation. The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) is a key legal instrument in this regard, but lacks universal adherence nonetheless. Read More >

As part of its efforts to promote ICSANT, UNODC conducted a visit to the United Republic of Tanzania on 26 October 2022. The visit was comprised of high-level bilateral consultations with the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, during which the counterparts discussed the roles of respective national stakeholders in the process of adherence to ICSANT, benefits of joining the Convention and its synergies with the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM). Read More >

On 17 October, UNODC met with H.E. Gen. Phorn Nara, General Secretary of the National Authority of the Prevention of Chemical, Nuclear, Biological and Radiological (CBRN) Weapons of Cambodia, along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice to discuss ICSANT. Read More >

Under the project “Promoting Universalization and Effective Implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism” funded by the European Union, UNODC has been actively promoting adherence to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), which currently comprises 120 States Parties. As part of these outreach efforts, UNODC conducted a country visit to Malaysia on 11 October 2022. Read More >

The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) contributes to a safer world by, inter alia, requiring its Parties to criminalize certain conduct involving nuclear or other radioactive material. Universalization and effective implementation of this Convention will ensure that there is no safe haven for alleged perpetrators.

As such, UNODC conducted a country visit to Ireland on 26-27 September 2022 to promote adherence to, and effective implementation of, ICSANT. Read More >

Radioactive sources are employed in a myriad of peaceful applications across the globe; however, they also offer the potential to be misused for terrorist or other criminal purposes. It is precisely with the intention to address this threat that the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) was adopted in 2005. Read More >
The establishment of a robust legal framework is a precondition to an effective criminal justice response to intentional and illicit conduct involving nuclear or other radioactive material. As part of its programme to prevent and suppress chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism, UNODC launched in June 2022 the eLearning module on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). Read More >
On 15-16 June 2022, UNODC conducted a country visit to Albania to promote adherence to, and implementation of, ICSANT. During the meetings, UNODC underlined the importance of becoming party to ICSANT with concrete examples on benefits of adherence and provided an overview of the technical and legislative assistance that UNODC can tailor to Albania’s needs with regard to its adherence to, and implementation of, ICSANT. Read More >
On 23-25 February 2022, UNODC contributed to the IAEA international seminar on the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its Amendment (A/CPPNM) and provided substantive expertise by delivering lectures on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), its synergies with the CPPNM and A/CPPNM, as well as UNODC’s relevant assistance programmes. Read More >

2021

UNODC recently contributed to an IAEA Regional Workshop to Promote the Universalization of the A/CPPNM for Africa, which was held virtually on 13 and 14 December 2021. Read More>

From 11-12 November 2021, UNODC and the IAEA held their first ever joint event to promote the universalization of the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM) and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). Read More >

On 30 September 2021, UNODC held an online event to launch its new website on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). The website is intended to serve as a repository of all relevant information and existing resources on this international legal instrument. Read More >
On 7 September 2021, UNODC delivered an online national workshop on ICSANT together with the Government of Grenada. The event was a follow-up to the regional workshop for selected CARICOM countries, which was held in Barbados in February 2020. Read More >
International legal approaches and criminal justice responses to the threat of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism were the focus of a webinar series conducted by UNODC between 2020-2021. Read More >

2020

In December 2020, UNODC delivered a webinar on “The Implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT): The Experience of Cameroon”. The webinar was conducted in French and focused on one Member State’s experience with the adherence to and national implementation of the convention. Read More >

On 11 November 2020 UNODC delivered an online workshop for English-speaking African countries which are not yet party to ICSANT in order to promote the universalization and effective implementation of the Convention. Read More >
On 8 and 9 September 2020, UNODC conducted two webinars, held in French and Spanish, on countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism. The webinars focused on UNSC resolution 1540 and its relationship to three instruments which are key components of the international legal framework on nuclear security: the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment. Read More >
On 16 July 2020, the Chief of UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch, Mr. Masood Karimipour, virtually briefed the Council of Europe’s Working Party on Non-Proliferation (CONOP) on the progress made by UNODC on the implementation of Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1939 on Union Support for the Universalization and Effective Implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). Read More >
On 3-5 March 2020, the Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) of UNODC, in cooperation with the IAEA, organised a country visit to Uganda to facilitate adherence to and implementation of the 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) and the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM). Read More >
On 25-27 February 2020, UNODC and the Government of Barbados co-hosted, in Bridgetown, a regional workshop for selected CARICOM countries on the universalization and effective implementation of the 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its 2005 Amendment (ACPPNM). Read More >
UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch and the Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP) delivered a national workshop on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) in Manila on 20 February 2020. Read More >
On 11 February 2020, the Terrorism Prevention Branch hosted a side event on UNODC's contribution to the prevention of nuclear terrorism. The event took place on the margins of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) International Conference on Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts (ICONS 2020), at the Vienna International Center. Read More >

2019

UNODC/TPB delivered a regional workshop to promote the universalization and effective implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its 2005 Amendment for selected Latin American and Caribbean countries in Panama City on 18-20 June 2019. Read More >

UNODC-UNOCT launched a project to promote the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) in Vienna on 27 May 2019. Read More >
UNODC/TPB launched an e-Learning module on the international legal framework against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism. Read More >

UNODC/TPB held a national workshop on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment in Luanda on 12-13 February 2019. Read More >

2018

A global workshop on the universalization of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, and its Amendment was held in Vienna on 20-21 March 2018. Read More >

2017

The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), in partnership with Canada and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), held the Vigilant Marmot Legal Frameworks Workshop in Bratislava from 24 to 26 January 2017. Read more >
12 December 2017 - Representatives of Governments and international organizations as well as experts gathered in Vienna last week to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). Read more >

2016

UNODC participated in IAEA's International Conference on Nuclear Security: Commitments and Actions held in Vienna, Austria, from 5 to 9 December 2016, as a cooperating organization. Read more >

2015

The meeting aimed to obtain an expert peer review of the UNODC/TPB counter-terrorism legal training curriculum's new draft module dealing with the international legal instruments against CBRN terrorism was held on 26-27 August 2015. Read more >
UNODC/TPB participated in a regional dialogue on nuclear smuggling prosecutions, organized by the United States Department of State in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 1-3 April 2015. Read more>

2014

On 16 and 17 December 2014, senior officials from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Palau, Philippines, Tajikistan and Tonga gathered at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, to discuss two key international legal instruments against nuclear terrorism. Read more>

2013

On 16-18 October 2013, senior officials from Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda gathered at UNODC Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the importance of the ratification and legislative implementation of two key international legal instruments in the fight against nuclear terrorism. Read more>

2012

On 5 and 6 June 2012, senior officials from nine west African states gathered at the UNODC Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss two key international legal instruments in the fight against nuclear terrorism. Read more>

Other Events

UNODC also regularly promotes, and presents on, ICSANT in several international fora, including in events organized by – among others – the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), the UN Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation (VCDNP).

Below is a list of events conducted by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT/UNOCT), which is implementing Component 2 of the EU ICSANT project.

On 15 September 2021, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) concluded a three-day virtual workshop on strengthening cooperation in nuclear security detection and response in the Horn of Africa in collaboration with the European Union and the participation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Read more >

On 25 February 2021, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) concluded the National Advocacy Event with Tajikistan Parliamentarians on promoting universalization and Effective Implementation of ICSANT. Read more >

On 24 February 2021, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) concluded the briefing for the Permanent Missions in New York on promoting universalization and effective implementation of ICSANT. The briefing was opened by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and Executive Director of UNCCT, UNOCT. Read more >

Could terrorists prepare a ‘dirty bomb’ technically known as radiological dispersal device (RDD) to carry out a terrorist attack? UNCCT and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) are working together to support Member States to counter the threat. Video can be found here

On 27 May 2019, the European Union and the United Nations launched in Vienna the joint project to prevent acts of nuclear terrorism through the promotion of universalization and effective implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), following a launch for the New York-based UN community in April 2019. Read more >

On 3-5 December 2019, a Nuclear Detection and Blue and Green Borders Workshop and Exercise was hosted by the Government of Morocco in Tangier, with the support of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear terrorism (GICNT) and UNOCT-UNCCT. Read more >