Terrorist and other criminal acts involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials onboard aircraft remain a threat to international peace and security. To deter this threat, the Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Relating to International Civil Aviation (2010 Beijing Convention) criminalizes the unlawful release or discharge of any BCN weapon or similar substances from civil aircraft and their use on board or against civil aircraft. UNODC is mandated by the General Assembly to assist Member States to adhere to and effectively implement the 2010 Beijing Convention, as one of the nineteen instruments which form the international legal framework to counter terrorism, seven of which deal, to varying degrees, with CBRN terrorism.

As such, UNODC recently participated in an International Air Law Treaty Workshop, organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau and hosted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) at the Singapore Aviation Academy from 12 to 14 December 2023. The event brought together over 40 civil aviation and government officials and featured experts from ICAO, UNODC, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), CAAS, and the private legal sector who presented on civil aviation issues, including emerging threats against civil aviation.

In its presentations, UNODC highlighted the CBRN aspects of the Beijing Convention in relation to the other CBRN counter-terrorism instruments and United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (UNSCR 1540) and UNODC legislative and technical assistance tools available. UNODC also contributed to discussions related to the history of the 2010 Beijing Convention, particularly its development related to other relevant CBRN instruments.

The event builds on previous cooperation between UNODC and ICAO, including ICAO’s contribution to the development of UNODC’s Counter-Terrorism Legal Training Curriculum (Module 6) on The International Legal Framework against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism and UNODC’s 2020 online event on the international legal framework against biological terrorism.