Enhancing Nigeria capacities to counter radiological and nuclear terrorist threats
Critical infrastructure protection against radiological and nuclear threats training
The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) organized in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) of Nigeria a three-day training on critical infrastructure protection against radiological and nuclear (R/N) threats, in Abuja, Nigeria from 12 to 14 December 2023.
The training, which aimed at improving preparedness and response to R/N terrorist attacks against critical infrastructure, gathered 30 representatives from 16 national entities. Participants discussed risk assessments, national policies and strategies, R/N crime scene management, as well as inter-agency cooperation in the event of an R/N terrorist attack on a critical infrastructure in Nigeria through a tailored tabletop exercise.
Community of practitioners
Additionally, UNOCT/UNCCT organized a dedicated meeting on 15 December to promote national cooperation among R/N and counter-terrorism practitioners to enhance information and intelligence sharing, as well as interagency coordination.
Meeting participants received information on the core provisions of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), including how ICSANT provides a legal basis for information exchange and cooperation between states parties for nuclear security.
Finally, UNOCT presented its online Connect & Learn Platform as a tool to foster cooperation and coordination among stakeholders relevant to the effective implementation of ICSANT, through, inter alia, the creation of communities of practitioners.
This training was part of the technical assistance and capacity-building activities provided by UNOCT within the framework of the project on Supporting the effective implementation of ICSANT, which is jointly implemented with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and funded by the European Union (EU).
Background
ICSANT was adopted in 2005 by consensus by the United Nations General Assembly. It entered into force in 2007 and currently has 123 States Party.
In December 2022, the General Assembly reiterated its concern about the growing risk of linkages between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) (A/RES/77/75). In particular, the General Assembly recognized that terrorists may seek to acquire WMD and appealed to all Member States to consider ratification of ICSANT while encouraging States Party to review their implementation.
The project is implemented within the framework of the UNOCT Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Use of Weapons and supports requesting Member States in capacity building to strengthen legal frameworks and enhance nuclear security. The project also encourages the ratification and effective implementation of the ICSANT Convention.
The Programme seeks to support Member States, international organizations and United Nations entities to prevent terrorists from accessing and using weapons, materials or components and to ensure that they are better prepared for, and can more effectively respond to, a terrorist attack involving WMD, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials, small arms and light weapons, improvised explosive devices and unmanned aircrafts systems.
For more information, visit https://www.un.org/counterterrorism/cct/chemical-biological-radiological... or contact oct-ctweapons@un.org