The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) is a key legal instrument to effectively prevent and respond to the risks that certain criminal conduct involving nuclear or other radioactive material, including for terrorist purposes, entails.
Effective implementation of ICSANT enables States parties to it to prevent these acts and avoid the impunity of their perpetrators, and thus strengthen national, regional and international security. Furthermore, it facilitates international cooperation in criminal matters providing legal grounds for extradition, mutual legal assistance, and the exchange of information on such offences, inter alia. These provisions are crucial given the transnational nature of nuclear terrorism-related threats.
In particular, pursuant to article 7 of the Convention, States parties are required to cooperate by taking all practicable measures to prevent and counter preparations for offences to take place inside or outside of their territories and to prevent the offences set forth in the Convention, including, if necessary, adapting their national law, as well as to cooperate by exchanging information in accordance with their national law to detect, prevent, suppress and investigate offences set forth in article 2 of the Convention. In this respect, article 7, paragraph 4 of ICSANT requires that States parties inform the United Nations Secretary-General of their competent authorities and liaison points responsible for sending and receiving such information. The Secretary-General must communicate such information regarding competent authorities and liaison points to all States parties and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Such authorities and liaison points must be accessible on a continuous basis.
Effective 3 October 2022, UNODC, in coordination with the United Nations (UN) Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), which discharges the Secretary-General's depositary functions for ICSANT, undertook the administrative functions set out under article 7, paragraph 4. Accordingly, all notifications of this kind after that date are to be sent to UNODC.
To fulfil these functions, on 2 September 2024, UNODC’s CBRN Terrorism Prevention Programme launched a campaign to encourage those States parties that have not yet fulfilled their obligation under article 7.4 of ICSANT to do so. UNODC sent tailored official communications to relevant States parties. As a result, as of 1 December 2024, UNODC has received 24 notifications bringing the number of States parties that designated their national contact points to 48.
The current list of States parties’ designated competent authorities and liaison points is available on UNODC’s ICSANT website.
UNODC is implementing this campaign thanks to funding from the European Union COUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2023/1187 of 19 June 2023 on Union support for the universalisation and effective implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Also under this Council Decision, UNODC will organize in 2026 the first meeting of ICSANT competent authorities and liaison points.
