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UNODC TPB/CBRN Team

Virtual Speaker Series: On 31 January, UNODC held the third event of the Virtual speaker series on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) and Nuclear Terrorism, funded by the Government of Canada. The event addressed key considerations in implementing ICSANT effectively, featuring guest speakers from UNODC, Canada, and Thailand, as well as the African Center for Science and International Security (AFRICSIS) and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation (VCDNP). A recording of the event is available on the UNODC ICSANT website.

Ecuador: On 7 February, Ecuador deposited its instrument of ratification of ICSANT and became the 127th party to the Convention on 9 March. This milestone, as also highlighted in the related press release of Ecuador’s MFA, comes after years of engagement between UNODC and national authorities, aimed at promoting the importance of the Convention and its benefits.

Thailand: On 24 and 25 February, UNODC conducted a national judicial seminar on ICSANT in Bangkok for 40 members of the Office of the Attorney General and other related agencies. Funded by the European Union (EU), the event was the fourth within a series aimed at enhancing the capacity of the participants to effectively implement ICSANT and raising awareness vis-à-vis the Convention. Experts from UNODC, INTERPOL and the Netherlands contributed to the event.

TTX South-East Asia: On 27 and 28 February in Bangkok, UNODC in cooperation with INTERPOL, conducted a Table-top exercise (TTX) on ICSANT. Funded by the Government of Canada and co-hosted with the Government of Thailand, the TTX contributed to sensitizing 26 stakeholders representing relevant key national authorities from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam to the importance of adhering to and effectively implementing ICSANT. Experts from UNODC, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and INTERPOL contributed to the event.

Ukraine: On 28 February, UNODC conducted a national judicial training on ICSANT for Ukrainian criminal justice officials. The event, which was a segment of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute’s (UNICRI) chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) criminalization workshop on strengthening the CBRN investigation, prosecution and adjudication capabilities of Ukraine, took place in Zilina, Slovakia. The judicial training featured experts from UNODC and the Republic of Moldova, and gathered 30 Ukrainian participants from national institutions involved in preventing, detecting, suppressing, investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating ICSANT-related offences. The event was the fifth within a series of UNODC’s national seminars for judicial and prosecution training centres, funded by the EU.

High-Level event on Human Rights and ICSANT: On 12 March, UNODC, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, jointly held a hybrid high-level side event on the margins of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The event, titled “Preventing and Suppressing Nuclear Terrorism while Respecting Human Rights”, discussed the human rights protections embedded in ICSANT, the additional human rights norms applicable to ICSANT, and implications for national counter-terrorism frameworks.

The event, which gathered close to 200 representatives from States, intergovernmental organizations and civil society, featured remarks from the Director of the Division for Treaty Affairs of UNODC, the Deputy Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of UNOCT and the Head of Human Rights Section of the Delegation of the EU to the United Nations, as well as presentations by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Prof. Ben Saul,  UNODC and UNOCT. The event was funded by the EU.

Webinar Series: On 27 March, UNODC hosted the sixth event of the Webinar Series on ICSANT, funded by the EU. The event focused on the national experience of Tajikistan with adhering to and implementing ICSANT and featured the Deputy Director of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Safety and Security Agency of Tajikistan, as well as a UNODC expert. A recording of the webinar is available on the UNODC ICSANT website.