Both air and maritime terrorism pose a serious threat to international peace and security. Terrorist groups have targeted planes, sea vessels and other means of transport as vulnerable targets. They have also weaponized means of transport to commit such attacks, of which 9/11 (in the U.S.) is one of the most widely known tragic examples.
Effective legal frameworks, criminal justice, operational and technical capacities are essential to enable Member States to prevent and respond to terrorist acts against air and maritime transportation. Out of 19 international legal instruments, 12 are related to preventing terrorism against international civil aviation and maritime navigation. UNODC supports Member States by providing legislative and capacity-building assistance.
There are eight civil aviation transport-related international counterterrorism instruments:
There are four maritime-related international counterterrorism instruments:
In coordination with the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization, UNODC developed a legal training curriculum module on Transport-related (civil aviation and maritime) Terrorism Offences. This module is aimed at supporting counter-terrorism practitioners and interested readers to familiarize themselves with the requirements of international counter-terrorism instruments related to air and maritime transportation, so that they can effectively develop or deepen their knowledge of the international legal framework pertaining to maritime and civil aviation-related terrorist offences.