Throughout the event, UNODC experts emphasized that the transnational nature of the threat posed by radiological and nuclear terrorism requires a unanimous and coordinated response from the international community and Member States, and that it also poses serious challenges for national justice systems. In fact, while national courts are responsible for trying perpetrators, the activities leading to acts of radiological or nuclear terrorism will often take place across numerous countries, thus making effective international cooperation in criminal matters essential to investigate and prosecute these cases.
The workshop benefited from the participation of experts representing other international organizations (namely, the 1540 Committee Group of Experts, the International Atomic Energy Agency, INTERPOL, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs), as well as civil society (the Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Stimson Center). This inter-agency cooperation is a tangible demonstration of the multi-disciplinary nature of nuclear security, and it underlines the importance of working together to tackle a threat – such as those posed by acts of nuclear or radiological terrorism – that knows no borders and that requires a concerted effort by the international community.