ANNEX
United Nations and other international Conventions
against International Terrorism
Dating back to 1963, these agreements provide the
basic legal tools to combat international terrorism in its many
forms—from the seizure of aircraft to hostage taking to
the financing of terrorism. Many have been ratified by the majority
of countries around the world, and only the most recent one is
not yet in force. Such agreements have been developed by the General
Assembly, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),
the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The instruments are the:
- Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts
Committed on Board Aircraft, adopted in Tokyo in 1963; 172 states
parties as of 17 September 2001; authorizes the airplane commander
to impose reasonable measures on any person who has committed
or is about to commit such acts, and requires states parties to
take custody of offenders; developed by ICAO;
- Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure
of Aircraft, The Hague, 1970; 174 states parties; requires parties
to punish hijackings by "severe penalties", and either
extradite or prosecute the offenders; developed by ICAO;
- Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts
against the Safety of Civil Aviation, Montreal, 1971; 175 states
parties; requires parties to punish offences by "severe penalties",
and either extradite or prosecute the offenders; developed by
ICAO; supplemented by the Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful
Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental
Shelf, signed at Rome on 10 March 1988; 48 States parties; extends
the requirements of the Convention to fixed platforms such as
those engaged in the exploitation of offshore oil and gas;
- Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts
of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation,
Montreal, 1988; 107 states parties; extends the provisions of
the Convention to encompass terrorist acts at airports;
- Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic
Agents, New York, 1973; adopted by the General Assembly; 107 states
parties; requires parties to criminalize and punish attacks against
state officials and representatives;
- Convention against the Taking of Hostages, New
York, 1979; adopted by the General Assembly; 96 states parties;
parties agree to make the taking of hostages punishable by appropriate
penalties; to prohibit certain activities within their territories;
to exchange information; and to carry out criminal or extradition
proceedings;
- Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear
Material, Vienna, 1980; 69 states parties; obliges parties to
ensure the protection of nuclear material during transportation
within their territory or on board their ships or aircraft; developed
by IAEA;
- Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts
against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, Rome, 1988; 56 states
parties; obliges parties to either extradite or prosecute alleged
offenders who have committed unlawful acts against ships, such
as seizing ships by force and placing bombs on board ships; developed
by IMO; supplemented by the
- Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts
against the Safety of Fixed Platforms located on the Continental
Shelf, Rome, 1988; 51 states parties; extends the requirements
of the Convention to fixed platforms such as those engaged in
the exploitation of offshore oil and gas;
- Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives
for the Purpose of Detection, Montreal, 1991; 68 States parties;
seeks to curb the use of unmarked and undetectable plastic explosives;
developed by ICAO;
- International Convention for the Suppression
of Terrorist Bombings, New York, 1997; adopted by the General
Assembly; 29 states parties; seeks to deny "safe havens"
to persons wanted for terrorist bombings by obligating each state
party to prosecute such persons if it does not extradite them
to another state that has issued an extradition request;
- International Convention for the Suppression
of the Financing of Terrorism, New York, 1999; adopted by the
General Assembly; 4 states parties; obligates states parties either
to prosecute or to extradite persons accused of funding terrorist
activities, and requires banks to enact measures to identify suspicious
transactions; will enter into force when ratified by 22
states.
The Legal Committee of the General Assembly is elaborating
a convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism
and a comprehensive convention on the elimination of terrorism.
The Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism,
adopted by the Assembly in 1994, and the Declaration to supplement
the 1994 Declaration, adopted in 1996, condemn all acts and practices
of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, wherever and by whomever
committed, and urge all states to take measures at the national
and international level to eliminate international terrorism.
The Viennabased United Nations Terrorism Prevention
Branch researches terrorism trends and assists countries in upgrading
their capacities to investigate—but, above all, to prevent
terrorist acts. The Branch is an arm of the United Nations Office
for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.
(See also http://untreaty.un.org/English/Terrorism.asp).
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