New York, 24 February 2021 - The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) concluded the briefing for the Permanent Missions in New York on promoting universalization and effective implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). The briefing was opened by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and Executive Director of UNCCT, UNOCT.
The briefing brought together representatives of several international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, the United Nations (UN) Office of Legal Affairs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC). Participants addressed the importance of the Convention, the process of adherence and its complementarity with other conventions, as well as the risk of nuclear terrorism. Additionally, the briefing served as an opportunity to share how UNCCT and UNODC, and Member States tackled the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the innovative solutions developed and applied in this context to ensure timely implementation of the project.
“The objective of today’s meeting is to take stock of the progress achieved so far and share with you information about the project’s upcoming events and how your countries could benefit from them.” Mr. Vladimir Voronkov said at the opening of the briefing.
The briefing was part of the European Union (EU) and the UN joint project on ICSANT. ICSANT was adopted in 2005 by consensus by the UN General Assembly. It entered into force in 2007 and currently has 117 Parties. This project with global reach is being implemented as a partnership between UNOCT/UNCCT and UNODC and demonstrates an “All-of-UN” approach to combatting terrorism. The ICSANT project is also a testament to the commitment of the EU. It seeks to strengthen legal frameworks of Member States, enhance their nuclear security as well as counter the threat of nuclear terrorism.
For more information, visit www.un.org/uncct or contact oct-info@un.org.
