| Nuclear Terrorism Convention | |
| Long Name: | International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism |
| Type: | Anti-terrorism, international criminal law |
| Date Drafted: | 13 April 2005 |
| Location Signed: | New York City, United States |
| Date Effective: | 7 July 2007 |
| Condition Effective: | 22 ratifications |
| Signatories: | 115 |
| Parties: | 124 |
| Depositor: | United Nations Secretary-General |
| Languages: | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish |
The Nuclear Terrorism Convention (formally, the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism) is a 2005 United Nations treaty designed to criminalize acts of nuclear terrorism and to promote police and judicial cooperation to prevent, investigate and punish those acts. As of January 2024, the convention has 115 signatories and 124 state parties, including the nuclear powers China, France, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[1] Most recently, Palau ratified the convention on January 19, 2024.[2]
The Convention covers a broad range of acts and possible targets, including nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors; covers threats and attempts to commit such crimes or to participate in them, as an accomplice; stipulates that offenders shall be either extradited or prosecuted; encourages States to cooperate in preventing terrorist attacks by sharing information and assisting each other in connection with criminal investigations and extradition proceedings; and, deals with both crisis situations, assisting States to solve the situations and post-crisis situations by rendering nuclear material safe through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Article 2 of the convention defines the offence of Nuclear terrorism as follows:
At the same time, article 4 expressly excludes the application of the convention to the use of nuclear devices during armed conflicts, without recognizing though the legality of the use of nuclear weapons:
As of May 2024, 124 states are parties to the Convention.[3]
| State party | Signed | Accessed | Entry into force | |
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| 21 August 2023 | 20 September 2023 | |||
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| 14 November 2023 | 14 December 2023 | |||
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| 13 February 2019 | 15 March 2019 | |||
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| 15 September 2005 | 19 January 2024 | 18 February 2024 | ||
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| 2 May 2019 | 1 June 2019 | |||
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| — | 28 September 2023 | 28 October 2023 |
The following states have signed, but not ratified, the Convention.[4]