Defining Terrorism through Multilateral Conventions

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has collated the 12 universal conventions (international agreements) and protocols against terrorism signed since 1963. Although many states have not signed them, all seek to create consensus that certain acts count as terrorism (for example, hijacking a plane), in order to create the means to prosecute them in signatory countries.

UNODC also notes that the form of these conventions on the Internet may differ slightly from their final form in print.

• "Tokyo Convention," 1963, Aviation Safety: Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft;


• "Hague Convention," 1970, Aircraft Hijacking: Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft;


• "Montreal Convention," 1971, Aviation Sabotage: Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation;


• New York, 1973, Outlaws attacks on government officials and diplomats: Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Internationally Protected Persons;
• New York, 1979, Hostages convention: International Convention against the Taking of Hostages;


• "Nuclear Materials Convention, 1980: Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials;


• Supplement to 1971 Montreal Convention on Air Safety: Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation;


• Rome, 1988, Terrorism on Ships :Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation;


• Rome, 1988, Terrorism on Fixed Offshore Platforms: Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf;


• "Montreal Convention," 1991, Facilitating Detection of Plastic Explosives: Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purposes of Identification;


• UN General Assembly Resolution, 1997, terrorist bombing: International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings;


• UN General Assembly Resolution, 2000, Terrorist Financing: International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.