Countering the Threat Posed by Improvised Explosive Devices

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 101ii Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices, published in 2018.

What other versions does this mandate have?

7 versions · 2015–2024

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/79/53

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2024	A/RES/79/53	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices	3,618	37%Compare
2022	A/RES/77/64	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices	3,631	87%Compare
2020	A/RES/75/59	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices	3,219	95%Compare
2018	A/RES/73/67	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices	3,298	89%Compare
2017	A/RES/72/36	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices	3,034	71%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

5 reports · 2016–2026

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2026	A/81/253	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/79/53
2024	A/79/211	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/77/64
2020	A/75/175	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/73/67
2018	A/73/156	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/71/72
2016	A/71/187	Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/70/46

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Counter-Terrorism Information Exchange International Cooperation Military Explosives

What’s in this document?

32 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General submitted pursuant to resolution 72/36,¹³ including the recommendations contained therein;

¹³A/73/156.

Recognizes that existing approaches in multilateral arms regulation, while valuable, do not fully address the use of improvised explosive devices in conflict and immediate post-conflict environments, and therefore strongly urges States to develop and implement, where appropriate, all national measures, including outreach and partnerships with relevant actors, including the private sector, necessary to promote awareness, vigilance and good practices among their nationals, persons subject to their jurisdiction and firms incorporated in their territory or subject to their jurisdiction that are involved in the production, sale, supply, purchase, transfer and/or storage of precursor components and materials that could be used to make improvised explosive devices;

Strongly encourages States, where appropriate, to develop and adopt their own national policy to counter improvised explosive devices that includes civilian-military cooperation, to strengthen their countermeasure capability, to prevent their territory from being used for terrorist purposes and to combat illegal armed groups, terrorists and other unauthorized recipients in their use of improvised explosive devices, while bearing in mind their obligations under applicable international law, and notes that the policy could include measures to support international and regional efforts to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate attacks using improvised explosive devices and their widespread consequences;

Urges all States, in particular those that have the capacity to do so, as well as the United Nations system and other relevant organizations and institutions supporting affected States, to increase attention to prevention and to provide support to reduce the risks posed by improvised explosive devices in a manner which takes into consideration the different needs of women, girls, boys and men;

Stresses the need for States to take appropriate measures to strengthen the management of their national ammunition stockpiles to prevent the diversion of materials for making improvised explosive devices to illicit markets, illegal armed groups, terrorists and other unauthorized recipients, and encourages the application of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines for the safer and more secure management of ammunition stockpiles, while also recognizing the importance of capacity-building, through both technical and financial assistance, in this regard, as well as the contributions made by various United Nations entities to that end;¹⁴

¹⁴The General Assembly, in its resolution 66/42, welcomed the completion of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines and the establishment of the “SaferGuard” knowledge resource management programme for the stockpile management of conventional ammunition.

Underlines that, for the issue of improvised explosive devices to be effectively addressed, it is essential to comprehend the importance of action needed at the local and community levels, engaging with community leaders and relevant civil society organizations through activities ranging from awareness-raising of the threat posed by such devices and of possible threat mitigation measures, in conjunction with distributors and local retailers, and intelligence-gathering, to establishing deradicalization programmes, and the need for Governments to engage continuously with local authorities and groups, and encourages States in a position to do so to support initiatives and efforts to that end;

Encourages States to enhance, as appropriate, international and regional cooperation, including the sharing of information on good practices as appropriate and where relevant, in cooperation with the private sector, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organization, in order to address the theft, diversion, loss and illicit use of materials for making improvised explosive devices, while ensuring the security of sensitive information that is shared;

Encourages States and the private sector to increase prevention efforts by taking measures to stem the transfer of knowledge of improvised explosive devices and their construction and use by illegal armed groups, terrorists and other unauthorized recipients, as well as measures to stem the illicit acquisition of components over the Internet;

Encourages States to increase prevention efforts by taking measures, including awareness-raising, support for research and data collection, to combat illicit procurement of components, explosives and materials for the construction of improvised explosive devices, including through the use of the “dark web”;¹⁵

¹⁵Content of the dark web exists on overlay networks which use the Internet but require specific software, configurations or authorizations that are not indexed by search engines.

Also encourages States to participate, in accordance with their obligations and commitments, in the ongoing work on improvised explosive devices by the informal group of experts under the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby Traps and Other Devices as amended on 3 May 1996 (Amended Protocol II)6 to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects,8 while recognizing the role of the United Nations and other international organizations in providing technical support and insight for these discussions;

Further encourages States to participate, as appropriate, in a comprehensive and coordinated community of action to counter improvised explosive devices in accordance with their respective international obligations and commitments, and to consider supporting the Programme Global Shield of the World Customs Organization and other multilateral and regional efforts;

Encourages States, the United Nations and international, regional and other organizations with relevant expertise that are in a position to do so to render to interested States, upon their request, technical, financial and material assistance aimed at strengthening the capacity of such States to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices, including through assistance for the development of good practices for the protection of civilians from attacks using such devices and for the development of standards to ensure the safety of personnel involved in the disposal of improvised explosive devices, and to provide appropriate assistance to the victims of such attacks;

Encourages States to respond to the needs of today’s peacekeepers to operate in new threat environments involving improvised explosive devices, including by providing, in consultation and cooperation with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the Secretariat, the appropriate training, capabilities, information and knowledge management and technology required to counter improvised explosive devices, and to ensure that adequate financial resources are allocated to meet such needs, takes note of the Guidelines on Improvised Explosive Device Threat Mitigation in Mission Settings developed by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support of the Secretariat,¹⁶ and encourages the full implementation of the Guidelines in all peacekeeping operations;

¹⁶Available at www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/ieds.

Recognizes that improvised explosive devices are being increasingly used in terrorist activities, takes note of the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Office of Counter-Terrorism related to the prevention of the acquisition of weapons by terrorists, and encourages all relevant entities of the United Nations system to continue to address the issue of improvised explosive devices, as appropriate and in line with their respective mandates, and to coordinate their activities to that end;

Urges Member States to comply fully with all relevant United Nations resolutions, including those related to preventing terrorist groups from using and accessing materials that can be used in the making of improvised explosive devices;¹⁷

¹⁷Including Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001), 2160 (2014), 2161 (2014), 2199 (2015), 2253 (2015), 2255 (2015) and 2370 (2017).

Encourages States and relevant international and regional organizations and non-governmental organizations, including international industry associations, to continue to build upon existing awareness, prevention and risk education campaigns regarding the urgent threat of improvised explosive devices and to disseminate threat mitigation measures;

Encourages States and relevant international and regional organizations to engage, as appropriate, with private sector entities in discussions and initiatives on countering improvised explosive devices, including on issues such as accountability throughout the supply chain for dual-use components, traceability procedures, improving the regulation of explosive precursors, where possible and as appropriate, strengthening security for the transport and storage of explosives and of precursors, as well as enhancing the vetting procedures for personnel with access to explosives or to precursors useful to the manufacture of explosives, while avoiding undue restrictions on the legitimate use of and access to such materials;

Notes the relevant research undertaken by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, encourages it to continue research in the area of prevention strategies, and encourages States in a position to do so to continue to support its work in this area;

Strongly encourages States to share information, on a voluntary basis, on the diversion of commercial-grade explosives and commercially available detonators to the illicit trade and transfers to illegal armed groups, terrorists and other unauthorized recipients, through relevant channels, including the INTERPOL Project Watchmaker, Chemical Anti-Smuggling Enforcement and Chemical Risk Identification and Mitigation programmes and the Programme Global Shield of the World Customs Organization;

Encourages States to share information related to countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices;

Takes into account the existing initiatives at the international, regional and national levels to counter improvised explosive devices, and encourages the engagement by States in an open and inclusive dialogue on steps forward to harmonize diverse ongoing efforts, including those on raising awareness and preventive strategies;

Urges States in a position to do so to contribute funding to the diverse areas of work needed to effectively address the issue of improvised explosive devices, including research, clearance, ammunition stockpile management, preventing violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, awareness-raising, capacity-building, information management and victim assistance, through existing trust funds and arrangements, including those of the Office of Counter-Terrorism, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the United Nations voluntary trust fund for assistance in mine action, efforts undertaken under relevant conventions¹⁸ or through regional or national programmes;

¹⁸Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects and Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction.

Welcomes the establishment by the Office for Disarmament Affairs, in coordination with other relevant entities, of an online information hub that provides impartial, authoritative information relevant to addressing the issue of improvised explosive devices in a comprehensive manner, and encourages States to utilize the hub to access existing initiatives, policies, documents and tools relevant to countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices;

Takes note of the completion of the United Nations Improvised Explosive Device Disposal Standards, coordinated by the Mine Action Service of the United Nations in cooperation with national technical experts, applicable where the context or mandate is not humanitarian;

Also takes note of the ongoing update of the International Mine Action Standards with regard to improvised explosive devices, which serve as the guiding framework for humanitarian mine action operations, and urges the International Mine Action Standards Review Board to rapidly finalize the update;

Notes that the United Nations Policy on Survivor Assistance in Mine Action highlights the significance of integrating survivor assistance efforts into broader international and national frameworks, as well as the importance of sustained services and support to survivors, including the survivors of attacks involving improvised explosive devices;

Also notes the completion of the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions Military Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Manual and the Improvised Explosive Device Threat Mitigation Military and Police Handbook by the Office of Military Affairs of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Mine Action Service, respectively, to support the capacity of United Nations peacekeepers to effectively address the risks posed by such devices;

Encourages States in a position to do so to support the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, in consultation with relevant bodies of the United Nations system, in developing a voluntary self-assessment tool to assist States in identifying gaps and challenges in their national regulation and preparedness regarding improvised explosive devices;

Recognizes the important contribution of civil society to addressing the issue of improvised explosive devices, including in clearance, awareness-raising, risk education, victim assistance and preventing violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, in particular at the local and community levels;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session on the implementation of the present resolution, focusing on awareness and prevention strategies, acknowledging and taking into account existing efforts, both inside and outside the United Nations, and seeking the views of Member States;

Encourages States to continue to hold open, informal consultations, where appropriate, focusing on raising awareness, prevention and coordination within the United Nations system and beyond, with information provided by States, international and regional organizations as well as experts from non-governmental organizations, including relevant private sector stakeholders, on efforts to prevent, counter and mitigate the threat posed by improvised explosive devices, which could assist the General Assembly in maintaining a comprehensive overview of relevant global activities;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fifth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-item entitled “Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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