Secretariat - Action against Terrorism Unit

As a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, the OSCE recognizes that UN Security Council resolutions constitute the legal framework for the fight against terrorism and has pledged itself to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1373. These commitments constitute the legal and political framework for the ATU's activities.

To complement these documents, the OSCE participating States have developed OSCE counter-terrorism mandates, including the Bucharest Plan of Action, the Organization's blueprint for a comprehensive effort in the fight against terrorism.

This document was quickly followed by the adoption of the Bishkek Programme of Action, agreed at an international conference organized by the OSCE and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on 13 and 14 December 2001 in Kyrgyzstan. The conference and the Programme considerably strengthened comprehensive security and counter-terrorism efforts, notably in Central Asia.

At the Porto Ministerial Council in 2002, the OSCE reinforced its anti-terrorism regime by adopting the OSCE Charter on Preventing and Combating Terrorism and a decision on Implementing the OSCE Commitments and Activities on Combating Terrorism. This latter document strengthened the OSCE's counter-terrorism activities as it recognized the danger posed by weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists. It also identified four strategic areas for preventing and combating terrorism: policing, border security, anti-trafficking and suppressing terrorist financing.

Taking the OSCE's anti-terrorism action one step further, the foreign ministers of the OSCE participating States decided at the Ministerial Council in Maastricht in December 2003 to adopt decisions on Travel Document Security and the establishment of a Counter-Terrorism Network. They also endorsed a decision taken by the Forum for Security Co-operation on Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) to strengthen controls over the export and stockpiles of such weapons.

At the Ministerial Council in Sofia 2004, participating States adopted seven decisions that will further strengthen the Organizations anti-terrorism efforts:

• the decision on Combating the Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes (MC Decision No. 3/04);
• the decision on Enhancing Container Security (MC Decision No. 9/04);
• the decision on Reporting lost/stolen Passports to Interpol's automated search facility/stolen travel document database (MC Decision No. 4/04);
• the decision on further implementing the OSCE document on stockpiles of conventional ammunition (MC Decision No. 5/04);
• the endorsement of the Forum for Security Co-operation decisions: OSCE standard elements of end-user certificates and verification procedures for SALW exports (MC Decision No.6/04);
• the endorsement of OSCE Principles on the Control of brokering in small arms and light weapons (SALW) (MC Decision No. 7/04); and
• the endorsement of OSCE principles for export controls of Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) (MC Decision No. 8/04).