Security Council

7086^th Meeting (PM)

Security Council Text Mandates Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate

 

to Continue Operating as Special Political Mission until End of 2017

 

The Security Council decided today that the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) would continue to operate as a special political mission until 31 December 2017, under the policy guidance of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2129 (2013), the Council also decided to conduct an interim review by 31 December 2015, directing CTED to identify emerging issues, trends and developments relating to resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and to advise the Committee on practical ways for States to implement those texts.  It also directed the Directorate to produce updated global implementation surveys to the Committee before 31 December 2015.

By other terms, the Council encouraged CTED to cooperate with States as well as regional and subregional organizations, upon request, and to advise them on formulating national and regional counter-terrorism strategies, stressing the importance of providing timely country reports to the Committee.  It directed the Directorate to make available information contained in national counter-terrorism surveys and assessments, when agreed by concerned States, and further, information on regional counter-terrorism capacities, when approved by the Committee.

Also by the text, the Council encouraged CTED, in close cooperation with bilateral and multilateral donors and technical assistance providers, to continue to work with States and regional and subregional organizations to facilitate technical assistance, reiterating States’ obligation to refrain from providing any form of support to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts.  In addition, it directed the Directorate to address the evolving nexus between terrorism and information and communications technologies, especially the Internet, and the use of such means to commit terrorist acts.

Recognizing the advantages of a comprehensive approach to preventing the spread of terrorism, the Council invited CTED, as appropriate, to further enhance its partnerships with international, regional and subregional organizations, civil society, academia and other entities in conducting research and identifying good practices.  It requested the Counter-Terrorism Committee to report at least once a year on its overall work, directing the Directorate to increase cooperation with committees mandated pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011), 1988 (2011), 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004), as well as their respective groups of experts.

[In the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1373 (2001), which, among other provisions, obliges all States to criminalize assistance for terrorist activities, to deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists, and to share information about groups planning terrorist attacks.  The resolution also established the Counter-Terrorism Committee.  Council resolution 1535 (2004) created CTED to provide the Counter-Terrorism Committee with expert advice and facilitate technical assistance for national efforts to implement resolution 1373 (2001).]

The meeting began at 3 p.m. and ended at 3:05 p.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 2129 (2013) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Reaffirming that terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, whenever and by whomsoever committed and remaining determined to contribute further to enhancing the effectiveness of the overall effort to fight this scourge on a global level,

“Noting with concern that terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security, the enjoyment of human rights, the social and economic development of all Member States, and undermines global stability and prosperity, that this threat has become more diffuse, with an increase, in various regions of the world, of terrorist acts including those motivated by intolerance or extremism, expressing its determination to combat this threat, and stressing the need to ensure that counter-terrorism remains a priority on the international agenda,

“Recognizing that terrorism will not be defeated by military force, law enforcement measures, and intelligence operations alone, and underlining the need to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, as outlined in Pillar I of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/RES/60/288) including, but not limited to, the need to strengthen efforts for the successful prevention and peaceful resolution of prolonged conflict, and the need to promote the rule of law, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, good governance, tolerance, inclusiveness to offer a viable alternative to those who could be susceptible to terrorist recruitment and to radicalization leading to violence,

“Recognizing that development, security, and human rights are mutually reinforcing and are vital to an effective and comprehensive approach to countering terrorism, and underlining that a particular goal of counter-terrorism strategies should be to ensure sustainable peace and security,

“Reaffirming that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and international humanitarian law, and underscoring that effective counter-terrorism measures and respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and are an essential part of a successful counter-terrorism effort, and notes the importance of respect for the rule of law so as to effectively prevent and combat terrorism,

“Reaffirming also that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or group,

“Emphasizing that continuing international efforts to enhance dialogue and broaden understanding among civilizations in an effort to prevent the indiscriminate targeting of different religions and cultures, and addressing unresolved regional conflicts and the full range of global issues, including development issues, will contribute to strengthening the international fight against terrorism,

“Expressing deep concern that incitement of terrorist acts motivated by extremism and intolerance poses a serious and growing danger to the enjoyment of human rights, threatens the social and economic development of all States and undermines global stability and prosperity,

“Strongly condemning incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking committed by terrorist groups for any purpose, including with the aim of raising funds or gaining political concessions, deeply concerned by the increase in such kidnappings, and underscoring the urgent need to address this issue,

“Recalling the adoption of resolution 2122, and reaffirming the intention to increase its attention to women, peace and security issues in all relevant thematic areas of work on its agenda, including in threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts,

“Expressing concern regarding the connection, in some cases, between terrorism and transnational organized crime and illicit activities such as drugs, arms and human trafficking, and money laundering, and emphasizes the need to enhance coordination of efforts on national, sub-regional, regional and international levels in order to strengthen a global response to this serious challenge and threat to international security,

“Reiterating the obligation of Member States to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts, and criminalize the wilful provision or collection, by any means, directly or indirectly, of funds by their nationals or in their territories with the intention that the funds should be used, or in the knowledge that they are to be used, in order to carry out terrorist acts,

“Reaffirming the obligation of Member States to freeze without delay funds and other financial assets or economic resources of persons who commit, or attempt to commit, terrorist acts or participate in or facilitate the commission of terrorist acts; of entities owned or controlled directly or indirectly by such persons; and of persons and entities acting on behalf of, or at the direction of such persons and entities, including funds derived or generated from property owned or controlled directly or indirectly by such persons and associated persons and entities,

“Reaffirming further the obligation of Member States to prohibit their nationals or any persons and entities within their territories from making any funds, financial assets or economic resources or financial or other related services available, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of persons who commit or attempt to commit or facilitate or participate in the commission of terrorist acts, of entities owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such persons and of persons and entities acting on behalf of or at the direction of such persons,

“Reiterating that sanctions are an important tool in countering terrorism, and underlines the importance of prompt and effective implementation of relevant resolutions, in particular Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) as key instruments in the fight against terrorism, and reiterates its continued commitment to ensure that fair and clear procedures exist for placing individuals and entities on sanctions lists and for removing them, as well as for granting humanitarian exemptions,

“Acknowledging the important work on countering the financing of terrorism of the United Nations entities and other multilateral bodies and forums, including the Financial Action Task Force, and encouraging CTED to cooperate closely with these entities,

“Reiterating further the obligation of Member States to prevent the movement of terrorist groups by, inter alia, effective border controls, and, in this context, to exchange information expeditiously, improve cooperation amongst competent authorities to prevent the movement of terrorists and terrorist groups to and from their territories, the supply of weapons for terrorists and financing that would support terrorists,

“Underlining that safe havens provided to terrorists continue to be a significant concern and that all Member States must cooperate fully in the fight against terrorism in order to find, deny safe haven and bring to justice, on the basis of the principle of extradite or prosecute, any person who supports, facilitates, participates or attempts to participate in the financing, planning, preparation or commission of terrorist acts or provides safe havens,

“Expressing concern at the increased use, in a globalized society, by terrorists and their supporters of new information and communication technologies, in particular the Internet, for the purposes of recruitment and incitement to commit terrorist acts, as well as for the financing, planning and preparation of their activities, and underlining the need for Member States to act cooperatively to prevent terrorists from exploiting technology, communications and resources to incite support for terrorist acts, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and in compliance with other obligations under international law,

“Recalls its decision that States shall eliminate the supply of weapons, including small arms and light weapons, to terrorists, as well as its calls for States to find ways of intensifying and accelerating the exchange of operational information regarding traffic in arms, and to enhance coordination of efforts on national, subregional, regional and international levels,

“Recognizing the importance of having in place criminal justice institutions that can effectively prevent and respond to terrorism within a rule of law framework and underlining the importance of strengthening cooperation among Member States and with United Nations entities and subsidiary bodies with a view to enhancing their individual capabilities, including by supporting their efforts to develop and implement rule of law based counter-terrorism practices,

“Recognizing the challenges faced by Member States in the management of terrorists in custody, encourages Member States to collaborate and share best practices regarding the management of terrorists in a secure, well-managed and regulated custodial environment in which human rights are respected and the development of programs for the rehabilitation and reintegration of convicted terrorists, noting the work of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and other relevant United Nations agencies in providing interested Member States with technical assistance in these areas, and encouraging interested Member States to request such assistance from these agencies,

“Noting the work of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), in particular its publication of several framework documents and good practices, including in the areas of countering violent extremism, criminal justice, kidnapping for ransom, providing support to victims of terrorism, and community-oriented policing, to complement the work of the relevant United Nations counterterrorism entities in these areas, and encouraging CTED to continue its interaction with GCTF, in its work with Member States to promote the full implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005),

“Recognizing the need for Member States to prevent the abuse of non‑governmental, non-profit and charitable organizations by and for terrorists, and calling upon non-governmental, non-profit, and charitable organizations to prevent and oppose, as appropriate, attempts by terrorists to abuse their status, while recalling the importance of fully respecting the rights to freedom of expression and association of individuals in civil society and freedom of religion or belief, and noting the relevant recommendation and guidance documents of the Financial Action Task Force,

“Expressing its profound solidarity with the victims of terrorism and their families, stresses the importance of assisting victims of terrorism, and providing them and their families with support to cope with their loss and grief, recognizes the important role that victims and survivor networks play in countering terrorism, including by bravely speaking out against violent and extremist ideologies, and in this regard, welcomes and encourages the efforts and activities of Member States and the United Nations system, including the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) in this field,

“Reiterating its call to Member States to enhance their cooperation and solidarity, particularly through bilateral and multilateral arrangements and agreements to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks, and encouraging Member States to strengthen cooperation at the regional and sub-regional level, noting also the particular benefits to be derived from cross-regional collaboration and training, including, as appropriate, law enforcement, corrections and justice sector professionals and their staffs, and noting the importance of close collaboration within and between all agencies of government and international organizations in combating terrorism and its incitement,

“Reaffirming its call upon all States to become party to the international counter-terrorism conventions and protocols as soon as possible, whether or not they are a party to regional conventions on the matter, and to fully implement their obligations under those which they are a party,

“Recognizing the importance of local communities, private sector, civil society and media in increasing awareness about the threats of terrorism and more effectively tackling them,

“Recalling resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001, which established the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), and recalling also resolution 1624 (2005) and its other resolutions concerning threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts,

“Recalling, in particular, resolution 1535 (2004) of 26 March 2004, resolution 1787 (2007) of 10 December 2007, resolution 1805 (2008) of 20 March 2008, and resolution 1963 (2010) of 20 December 2010 which pertain to the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and recalling also the crucial role of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) and CTED in ensuring the full implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and underlines the importance of capacity building and technical assistance with a view to increasing the capabilities of Member States, regional and sub-regional organizations for effective implementation of its resolutions,

“Underscoring the central role of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism and welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/RES/60/288) of 8 September 2006, and expressing support for the activities of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), in accordance with General Assembly resolution 64/235 of 24 December 2009, to ensure overall coordination and coherence in the counter-terrorism efforts of the United Nations system, and its crucial role in promoting the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the full participation, within their mandate, of relevant Security Council subsidiary bodies in the work of the CTITF and its working groups,

“Recognizing the work carried out by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) within the CTITF Office, in accordance with the General Assembly resolution A/RES/66/10, and its role in building the capacity of Member States,

“1.   Underlines that the overarching goal of the CTC is to ensure the full implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) and recalls CTED’s crucial role in supporting the Committee in the fulfilment of its mandate;

“2.   Decides that CTED will continue to operate as a special political mission under the policy guidance of the CTC for the period ending 31 December 2017 and further decides to conduct an interim review by 31 December 2015;

“3.   Welcomes the adoption of, and commends, the “Report of the Counter-Terrorism Committee to the Security Council for its Comprehensive Consideration of the Work of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate from 2011 to 2013”;

“4.   Underscores the essential role of CTED within the United Nations to assess issues and trends relating to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and to share information, as appropriate, with relevant United Nations counterterrorism bodies and relevant international, regional and sub‑regional organizations, welcomes the thematic and regional approach of CTED aimed at addressing the counter-terrorism needs of each Member State and region, and in this regard, encourages CTED to promote international cooperation to further the implementation of resolutions 1373 and 1624;

“5.   Directs CTED to identify emerging issues, trends and developments related to resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), while taking into account the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, as appropriate, at all levels, in consultation with relevant partners, and to advise the CTC on practical ways for Member States to implement resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005);

“6.   Recalls that CTED provided to the Committee, in accordance with resolution 1963 (2010), Global Implementation Surveys of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and directs CTED to produce updated versions of these Global Implementation Surveys to the Committee prior to 31 December 2015;

“7.   Encourages CTED to cooperate with Member States and regional and sub-regional organizations, upon request, to assess and advise them on formulating national and regional counterterrorism strategies to further the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and to make available its assessments and other information, as appropriate, to relevant CTITF entities;

“8.   Stresses the importance of CTED providing timely country reports to the Committee, encourages the Committee and CTED to engage with Member States, as appropriate, after relevant country reports are adopted by the Committee, and invites CTED to conduct regular follow-up activity with concerned Member States, as appropriate;

“9.   Directs CTED to report to the Committee in a timely manner, on a regular basis or when the Committee so requests, through oral and/or written briefings on the work of CTED, including its visits to Member States, the conduct of assessments, representing the CTC at different international and regional meetings, and other activities, including during planning stages, and to conduct an annual review and forecast of activities to facilitate implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005) and cooperation in this area;

“10.  Directs CTED to make available information contained in national counterterrorism surveys and assessments, when agreed by concerned Member States, and further directs CTED to make available information on regional counterterrorism capacities, when approved by the CTC, as appropriate;

“11.  Encourages CTED, in close cooperation with bilateral and multilateral donors and technical assistance providers, including relevant United Nations counterterrorism bodies, to continue to work with Member States, regional and sub‑regional organizations, at their request and in accordance with resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), to facilitate technical assistance, specifically by promoting engagement between providers of capacity-building assistance and recipients, and encourages CTED, as appropriate, to assess the impact of its donor-supported project activity linked to building capacity and cooperation;

“12.  Encourages CTED, in close cooperation with the CTITF and its relevant Working Groups, to continue to pay close attention to resolution 1624 (2005) in its dialogue with Member States, and to work with them to develop, in accordance with their obligations under international law, strategies which include countering incitement of terrorist acts motivated by extremism and intolerance and to facilitate technical assistance for its implementation, as called for in resolution 1624 (2005) and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy;

“13.  Reiterates the obligation of Member States to refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by suppressing recruitment of members of terrorist groups and eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists, and encourages CTED to continue to fully take this obligation into account throughout its activities;

“14.  Notes the evolving nexus between terrorism and information and communications technologies, in particular the Internet, and the use of such technologies to commit terrorist acts, and to facilitate such acts through their use to incite, recruit, fund, or plan terrorist acts, and directs CTED to continue to address this issue, in consultation with Member States, international, regional and sub‑regional organizations, the private sector and civil society and to advise the CTC on further approaches;

“15.  Recalls the adoption by the GCTF of the “Algiers Memorandum on Good Practices on Preventing and Denying the Benefits of Kidnapping for Ransom by Terrorists” (the “Memorandum”) and encourages CTED to take it into account, as appropriate, consistent with its mandate, including in its facilitation of capacity building to Member States;

“16.  Expresses its profound solidarity with the victims of terrorism and their families, and encourages CTED to take into account the important role that victims and survivor networks can play in countering terrorism, in close cooperation with CTITF and its relevant Working Groups;

“17.  Recognizes the comprehensive international standards embodied in the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) revised Forty Recommendations on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation, and encourages CTED to work closely with the FATF, including in the FATF’s mutual evaluations process, focusing on effective implementation of counter terrorist financing recommendations;

“18.  Encourages CTED to continue its dialogue with Member States in various formats, with their consent, including for the purpose of considering advising, as appropriate, on the development of comprehensive and integrated national counter-terrorism strategies and the mechanisms to implement them that include attention to the factors that lead to terrorist activities, in accordance with their obligations under international law, and in close cooperation with the CTITF and its Working Groups, with a view to ensuring coherence and complementarity of efforts and to avoid any duplication;

“19.  Recognizes the advantages of a comprehensive approach to preventing the spread of terrorism and violent extremism, consistent with resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and in this regard, invites CTED, as appropriate and in consultation with relevant Member States, to further engage and enhance its partnerships with international, regional and sub-regional organizations, civil society, academia and other entities in conducting research and information-gathering, and identifying good practices, and in that context to support the CTC’s efforts to promote the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and underscores the importance of engaging with development entities;

“20.  Stresses the importance of a tailored dialogue and engagement among CTED, the CTC, and Member States, and encourages the CTC and CTED to continue to arrange meetings involving counter-terrorism officials from Member States and relevant international, regional, and subregional organizations, with a thematic or regional focus relevant to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005);

“21.  Reminds Member States that effective counter-terrorism measures and respect for human rights are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and are an essential part of a successful counter-terrorism effort, notes the importance of respect for the rule of law so as to effectively combat terrorism, and encourages CTED to further develop its activities in this area, to ensure that all human rights and rule of law issues relevant to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005) are addressed consistently and even-handedly including, as appropriate, on country visits that are organized with the consent of the visited Member State and in the delivery of technical assistance;

“22.  Requests the CTC to report orally, through its Chair, at least once per year to the Council on the state of the overall work of the CTC and CTED, and, as appropriate, in conjunction with the reports by the Chairs of the Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), expresses its intention to hold informal consultations at least once per year on the work of the Committee, and further requests the Committee to hold periodic meetings, including with a regional or thematic focus, for all Member States;

“23.  Reiterates the need to enhance the ongoing cooperation among the CTC, the Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011), and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), as well as their respective groups of experts, including through, as appropriate, enhanced and systematized information sharing, coordination on visits to countries and participation in workshops, on technical assistance, on relations with international, regional and sub-regional organizations and agencies, including through the shared use of regionally-based focal points, as appropriate and in accordance with respective mandates, and on other issues of relevance to all three committees, expresses its intention to provide guidance to the committees on areas of common interest in order to better coordinate counter-terrorism efforts; and stresses the importance of CTED and relevant CTITF entities being co-located and making necessary efforts to achieve this objective;

“24.  Directs CTED to increase cooperation with committees that have mandates established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011), 1988 (2011), 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004) and their respective groups of experts;

“25.  Encourages CTED to enhance its dialogue and information sharing with Special Envoys, the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, including during planning stages of missions, as appropriate, in relation to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005);

“26.  Welcomes and encourages CTED’s continued active participation in and support of all relevant activities under the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, including within the CTITF and its Working Groups, established to ensure overall coordination and coherence in the counter-terrorism efforts of the United Nations system;

“27.  Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”

* *** *

For information media • not an official record