Chemical and biological (CB) weapons have the potential to cause great harm and represent an appealing prospect for non-state actors due to their potential to generate widespread fear. From the letters containing fatal anthrax spores sent through US postal system in 2001 to, more recently, the repeated deployment of chemical weapons against civilian populations by Da’esh between 2014 and 2016 in Iraq and Syria, these events are designed to cause major suffering and disruption.

Non-state, terrorist organizations and individuals continue to strive to produce or obtain CB weapons capable of generating mass casualties. These weapons are particularly attractive to such groups or ideologically inspired individuals around the world for multiple reasons, including the low cost and effort-to-impact ratio of a CB weapons attack, the potential to generate widespread fear among populations and the likelihood that such an attack would receive significant media coverage.

Meanwhile, the risk that individuals or terrorist organizations might use such weapons will remain high so long as knowledge about the weapons and their precursors remains easily available on the Internet and trade controls over the precursors remain weak. Equally, many biological pathogens occur naturally in the environment, making it even more important to ensure that countries are aware of the threat and have robust mitigation measures in place.

UNICRI’s response

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure and Goal 16 for the promotion of peace, justice and strong institutions, UNICRI is taking active measures to address the threat of chemical and biological terrorism.

For example, UNICRI implements national and regional training programmes that focus on intelligence-led operations and investigations to prevent CB weapons attacks by non-state actors. Equally, due to the transnational dimension of this phenomenon, UNICRI coordinates the creation of systems for the cooperation and timely exchange of information between relevant agencies (such as intelligence, law enforcement and regulatory authorities) and relevant international organizations.

UNICRI also works in collaboration with international organizations such as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and the Committee established pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (the 1540 Committee) to promote adherence to and implementation of the international legal regime against the acquisition and use of chemical and biological weapons by non-state actors. These include the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention.

Current initiatives and future programming

ATLAS – To address the growing chemical weapon risk in North Africa, UNICRI has launched ATLAS, a pilot project aimed at preventing violent non-state actors from planning and conducting chemical weapon attacks, with a focus on intelligence-led operations and investigations. The main objective of the project, which is implemented in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and with the financial support of the United States Department of State, is to develop and implement training curricula for law enforcement, state security, chemical regulatory authorities, industry and academia, as well as to foster interagency and regional cooperation.

Building a safer South-East Asia by preventing and responding to the use of chemical weapons by terrorists and other non-state actors in Indonesia – Implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UNICRI in coordination with Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme and with support of the OPCW, the project’s objective is to significantly enhance the capability of Indonesian authorities to prevent, detect, and respond to the acquisition, development, and threat or use of chemical weapons by non-state actors, in particular for terrorist purposes.

Further information

For general information concerning the implementation of these projects, please consult the linked pages below.

Publications

Women in Chemistry  Compendium

Prosecutor’s  Guide

Related news

ATLAS – Preventing non-state actors from planning and carrying out chemical weapons attacks through intelligence-led operations. National workshop and bilateral consultations with key stakeholders in the Republic of Tunisia

ATLAS – Preventing non-state actors from planning and carrying out chemical weapons attacks through intelligence-led operations. National workshop and bilateral consultations with key stakeholders in the Kingdom of Morocco

UNODC, UNICRI and BNPT organized inter-agency workshop to prevent chemical weapons incidents in Indonesia

The threat of radiological and nuclear (RN) trafficking and proliferation are among some of the most pressing concerns on today’s interna­tional agenda. Factors such as regional instabilities, on-going and frozen conflicts, and uncontrolled territories make it difficult to prevent and deter RN trafficking, which represents an appealing prospect to many smugglers due to a decades’ old fallacy that smuggling RN material is extremely valuable and profitable.

The CONTACT programme was first launched in the Middle East in 2019 with the financial support of Global Affairs Canada in order to address the heightened risk of RN trafficking in the region. To address this risk, UNICRI implemented training activities for state security and law enforcement officials, with a focus on carrying out intelligence operations to thwart RN trafficking attempts.

After the success of this first iteration, and thanks to funding from the United Kingdom Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, and the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the programme was expanded to the Black Sea region in 2020. In 2021, the programme was further expanded, this time to South-East Asia with the continued generous support of Global Affairs Canada. Since 2022, as a result of the interest of the countries to continue their engagement, the second phase of the project was initiated in the Black Sea region, and since 2023 CONTACT has also been launched in Central Asia.

Objectives and activities

The CONTACT programme aims at providing training and capacity building activities to improve the capability of state security and law enforcement officials to devise, plan and carry out intelligence operations to thwart RN trafficking attempts. The programme also has the objective of fostering regional cooperation and information sharing related to investigations of RN trafficking cases.

A core activity of the CONTACT programme is the development and implementation of a train-the-trainers course on enhancing capabilities to counter RN trafficking. The course offers a broadband approach to the subject but has a special focus on using intelligence as an essential, efficient tool in anti-trafficking operations, as well as methodological and conceptual tools to enhance training delivery capacities within countries’ own national frameworks.

The ongoing threat of radioactive materials falling outside regulatory control, a consequence of the war in Ukraine, underscores the continued need to strengthen the capacities of security and law enforcement agencies in the region to combat the trafficking of radioactive materials.

^{@UN Photo/Pernaca Sudhakaran}

Promoting the rule of law, access to justice, and gender equality are key to enabling the development of just, equitable societies and the protection of human rights, both in conflict and in peace. Addressing challenges to the rule of law and providing access to justice for all is not only fundamental to tackling crime and building security, it also ensures institutional and individual protections of people’s rights, especially those who are vulnerable or marginalized.

UNICRI works to strengthen access to fair criminal justice administration systems and institutional accountability to advance equitable and accountable justice. Population groups who experience multiple risk factors, such as marginalisation, lack of access to resources, and gender violence, are core beneficiaries.

The key areas of UNICRI’s work will include:

• Women and access to justice systems
• Vulnerable populations in fragile, conflict, and climate insecure areas
• Criminal law and justice education

UNICRI works through Member States and partners to strengthen and reform judicial, legal, and security systems as they relate to women and girls’ access to justice and gender equality. This recognizes the impact of the justice gap on the lives and rights of women and girls and provides further momentum to the vision of the Agenda 2030 on justice for women.

The Institute continues its work with relevant justice institutions and authorities, such as the judiciary, police, security forces, and corrections, on the tools, policy, and legal mechanisms that support strong, fair, and accountable justice systems. Given the susceptibility of certain individuals and population groups to victimization and exploitation in fragile and conflict-prone zones, UNICRI continues its justice work in these contexts, advising Member States on how to better protect at-risk groups.

The aggravating impacts of climate change on instability, conflict, and security also remain at the forefront of UNICRI’s work. This includes the role of climate insecurity as a threat multiplier capable of exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and producing distinctive and increased risks related to transnational crime and human rights.