United Nations Counter-Terrorism-Strategy

The Role of the Office for Disarmament Affairs

The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted by General Assembly resolution 60/288 in 2006, and states that terrorism “constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”.

The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy addresses the threat of terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), calling upon Member States to prevent terrorists from accessing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials, and to cooperate in strengthening national capacities to combat such threats.

To this end, the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy calls upon the Member States, International Organizations and the UN System to:

  • Combat smuggling of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials
  • Ensure that advances in biotechnology are not used for terrorist purposes
  • Improve border and customs controls to prevent and detect illicit trafficking of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and materials
  • Improve coordination in planning a response to a terrorist attack using chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons or materials

General Assembly Resolutions