ARF Workshop on Strengthening Legal Frameworks for Countering CBRN Terrorism

From 16 to 18 April 2024, an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Strengthening Legal Frameworks for Countering Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism was held in Mongolia, co-chaired by Vietnam, the United States and Mongolia.

View of the ARF workshop

The Vietnamese delegation at the ARF workshop in Mongolia

The workshop forms part of the Work Plan on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime for 2023–2025, the Work Plan on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament for 2022–2025 and the Hanoi Plan of Action II for 2020–2025. It was conducted with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The workshop aimed to strengthen the legal frameworks and enforcement capacity of ARF participating states in preventing, detecting and responding to CBRN terrorism threats, which affect peace and security at the national, regional and global levels. The workshop also sought solutions to promote cooperation and coordination among ARF countries and with relevant international organisations in addressing CBRN terrorism and relevant non-state actors, based on seven fundamental pillars: the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT); the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its Amendment (CPPNM/A); the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (TBC); the Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Relating to International Civil Aviation (Beijing Convention); the Protocol to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA); and United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1373 (UNSCR 1373) and 1540 (UNSCR 1540).

In pursuit of these objectives, the workshop focused on discussing and developing in-depth scenarios enabling participants to identify the criminal context of specific offences; prosecution, extradition and cooperation at both national and international levels; and the challenges and approaches in implementing the international legal framework to support the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of offences related to CBRN terrorism.

The workshop was attended by more than 70 participants from the United States, Canada, Australia, India, Mongolia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries, as well as United Nations experts. The Vietnamese delegation comprised six members from Standing Office 81/Ministry of National Defence, the Department of Domestic Security/Ministry of Public Security, the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety/Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Department of International Organisations and the ASEAN Department/Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was headed by Ms Le Thi Thu, Deputy Director-General of the ASEAN Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the workshop, participants gave presentations on issues related to CBRN terrorism, including current trends, the challenges and threats associated with CBRN terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the region. The Vietnamese delegation delivered a presentation on the international legal framework for countering CBRN terrorism, models for implementing the legal framework and typical examples of countering CBRN terrorism, and took an active part in the discussions on related issues.

Through the workshop, participants gained a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the international legal frameworks for countering CBRN terrorism, learned about different models for implementing these frameworks and took part in specific scenarios related to CBRN terrorism. This will help enhance the capacity of ARF participating states to implement international legal frameworks and national legislation in preventing, detecting and stopping the threats of CBRN terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Dang Huy Hiep – Centre 81