Becoming party to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) is crucial for every country to ensure a unified global response to the growing threat of criminal acts involving nuclear or other radioactive material, including for terrorist purposes. However, each country’s experience with joining and implementing the Convention varies significantly, shaped by unique national contexts such as political will, legal systems, resource availability, and the scale of use of nuclear technology.
While some nations quickly align their legislative and regulatory systems with ICSANT, others face challenges in overcoming domestic hurdles, resource constraints, or conflicting policies. As a result, the pace and effectiveness of implementation can differ widely, highlighting the need for ongoing international collaboration and exchange of experiences.
On 27 March 2025, the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism Prevention Programme of UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch hosted the sixth event of its webinar series on ICSANT, which is part of a project funded by the European Union. The event featured Mr. Bakhtiyor Barotov, Deputy Director, CBRN Safety and Security Agency of Tajikistan, National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, who spoke on the national experience of Tajikistan with adhering to and implementing the Convention, to which the country is party since 2022. Over 20 participants attended the webinar.
In his presentation, Mr. Barotov identified several of the key challenges to the ratification of ICSANT by Tajikistan, such as limited awareness of nuclear terrorism risks, resource constraints, and the need to harmonize national legislation. Political commitment, support from partners, clear legislative roadmaps and inter-agency collaboration helped Tajikistan overcome these hurdles. In particular, the expert underlined the participation of Tajikistan’s officials in the 2014 UNODC workshop on ICSANT and other international legal framework against nuclear terrorism, which raised awareness on the Convention and ignited its consideration at the national level. Other subsequent events held by UN partners in which UNODC provided substantive expertise on the Convention contributed to Tajikistan’s adherence to this international legal instrument.
Following the ratification of ICSANT, Tajikistan introduced offences set out in the Convention into its national legislation, such as the unlawful and intentional use of radioactive material to cause death, serious bodily injury or significant damage to property or to the environment. The country also established jurisdiction over such offences and adapted national legislation to facilitate extradition, mutual legal assistance and information sharing with regards to offences set out in ICSANT. Lastly, Tajikistan adopted appropriate measures to ensure the protection of radioactive material for the purpose of preventing offences under the Convention.
Yet, implementing ICSANT, like for many States parties, was not plain sailing for Tajikistan. The provisions of the Convention are complex and could not be easily pasted into national legislation. The speaker explained that the country experienced limited technical capacity and equipment for detection and analysis of radioactive material. Numbers of trained law enforcement officials were low.
According to Mr. Barotov, international assistance from UNODC, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other partners was instrumental in addressing these challenges and ensuring the comprehensive approach to the implementation of ICSANT. Examples include legislative assistance, capacity‑building initiatives and provision of equipment that strengthened national institutions’ capacity to prevent and respond to offences involving radioactive material, and the establishment of channels for real‑time information exchange with regional and international partners. The country also launched public awareness campaigns on nuclear security.
Mr. Barotov shared that Tajikistan implements ICSANT in synergy with other relevant tools and international legal instruments. They include the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its Amendment and UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), among others. By aligning these instruments, Tajikistan helps ensure comprehensive global compliance with the highest standards of countering nuclear terrorism and other criminal conduct involving radioactive material.
The expert also presented a case that involved smuggling of enriched uranium. The specific intent of the perpetrators – as required by ICSANT-related offences – was not ultimately proven. Yet the Convention offers an invaluable platform for cooperation among State parties as well as between them and relevant international organizations at least at the initial stages of criminal investigation when all elements related to the crime are not yet clear.
The recording of the event is available here.
Recordings of other events of the EU-funded webinar series on ICSANT are available here.
