UNITED NATIONS, June 19: A senior United Nations official on Monday called on all member states to become a party to a new international treaty which aims to prevent acts of nuclear terrorism, bring perpetrators to justice and promote cooperation among countries seeking more vigilance and greater cooperation in the fight against the scourge.

“Advances in technology continue to outpace the efforts undertaken to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction,” Larry Johnson, Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, told a panel of nuclear terrorism experts held at UN Headquarters .

“There is an urgent need to enhance international cooperation between states for devising and adopting effective and practical measures for the prevention of acts of terrorism and for the prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators.”

The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear

Terrorism enters into force on July 7, almost two years after it was adopted by member states, after Bangladesh earlier this month became the 22nd country to ratify or accede to it.