Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2395 (2017), Security Council Renews Mandate of Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate until December 2021
The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the Counter‑Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the expert body that supports the Council’s counter-terrorism architecture until December 2021.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2395 (2017), the Council stressed the importance of strong coordination between the CTED and the recently established Office of Counter‑Terrorism headed by a new Under‑Secretary‑General in engaging with Member States, as well as with all other relevant organizations, to improve the implementation of the Global Counter‑Terrorism Strategy.
Through the text, the Council renewed the mandate of CTED as a special political mission in support of the Counter‑Terrorism Committee, which was created by resolution 1373 (2001), following the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States. It detailed the role of the Directorate in what it called its core role of identifying and assessing issues, trends and developments relating to the implementation of that resolution, supporting a “balanced” implementation of the Global Strategy and suggesting practical ways to meeting challenges. It reiterated the Directorate’s role in providing technical assistance and capacity‑building to countries that required it.
Recognizing the benefits of country visits by the Directorate, comprehensive assessments of country implementation and related follow‑up activities in that regard, the Council requested the CTED to report the Committee by the end of March 2018 on ways to strengthen the assessment process, with follow‑up and timelines taking into account the differing capacities of Member States.
The Council reiterated the call for the CTED to integrate gender into all its activities and encourage it to take into consideration the impact of terrorism on children, especially in regard to issues related to families of returning and relocating foreign terrorist fighters.
Following the vote, several speakers welcomed the adoption and discussed how well their concerns were taken into consideration.
The representative of the United States said that despite the persistence of the terrorist threat, the adoption showed that the world was strengthening its mechanisms to fight the scourge and adapting its strategies to current conditions. “We need a CTED that is agile and able to respond to emerging threats,” she said.
She hoped that the text would firmly establish the body’s role in the new counter-terrorism architecture, help it to better assist Member States and strengthen its functions in early-warning. Effective counter‑terrorism strategies, she stressed, must be effective, multifaceted and balanced, and take into account local conditions and the situation of minorities, with comprehensive security provisions incorporating a gender perspective. She added that human rights must be kept at the core of the effort.
Egypt’s representative, expressing gratitude for the support provided to his country as the Chair of the Committee, described his delegation’s efforts to include what he called critical issues such as extradition in the text just adopted, and the need to continue the role of ensuring compliance of States with relevant resolutions, including through assisting nations in building capacity.
He regretted that his proposals to include language ensuring adequate resources for CTED were rejected. He said that it was a concern because it affected the effective work of the body. He added that the need to address terrorist rhetoric was critical and he urged the Directorate to continue to address the matter. He stressed, as well, the imperative of coordination between all related bodies in implementing recommendations that followed country assessments, while respecting the sovereignty of States in the process.
The representative of the Russian Federation said he supported the text as it reflected the outcomes of briefings and reviews on the topic. In addition, it took into account many of his country’s proposals on collaboration with States on implementing recommendations following assessments. It was critical, he commented, to focus on States that were most in need of assistance in implementing the resolutions. His country stood ready to provide support for such efforts. He urged that priorities of the Directorate reflect its mandate and that collaboration with all other bodies be strengthened in accordance with their competencies.
The meeting began at 10:11 a.m. and ended at 10:30 a.m.
Resolution
The full text of resolution 2395 (2017) reads as follows:
“The Security Council,
“Recalling, in particular, resolution 1535 (2004), resolution 1787 (2007), resolution 1805 (2008), resolution 1963 (2010), and resolution 2129 (2013), which pertain to the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and reaffirming the crucial role of its Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and CTED in ensuring the full implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), and reaffirming its resolutions 1267 (1999), 1325 (2000), 1368 (2001), 1566 (2004), 1624 (2005), 1894 (2009), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013), 2133 (2014), 2150 (2014), 2170 (2014), 2178 (2014), 2185 (2014), 2195 (2015), 2199 (2015), 2220 (2015), 2242 (2015), 2249 (2015), 2253 (2015), 2309 (2016), 2322 (2016), 2331 (2016), 2341 (2017), 2347 (2017), 2354 (2017), 2368 (2017), 2370 (2017), 2379 (2017), 2388 (2017), and its relevant presidential statements,
“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,
“Recognizing that terrorism poses a threat to international peace and security and that countering this threat requires collective efforts on national, regional and international levels on the basis of respect for international law and the Charter of the United Nations,
“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 Pillars I and IV of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (document 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, and inclusiveness to offer a viable alternative to those who could be susceptible to terrorist recruitment and to radicalization leading to violence,
“Reaffirming that the promotion and protection of human rights for all and the rule of law are essential components of counterterrorism, and recognizing that effective counterterrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting goals, but complementary and mutually reinforcing, and stressing the need to promote and protect the rights of victims of terrorism,
“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 counterterrorism 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 counterterrorism effort, and noting the importance of respect for the rule of law so as to effectively prevent and combat terrorism,
“Reaffirming that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or group,
“Stressing that Member States have the primary responsibility in countering terrorist acts and violent extremism conducive to terrorism,
“Reaffirming its commitment to sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,
“Reaffirming its call upon all States to become party to the international counterterrorism conventions and protocols as soon as possible, and to fully implement their obligations under those to which they are a party,
“Underscoring the central role of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism and welcoming the fifth review of the United Nations Global Counter‑Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) (document A/RES/70/291) of 1 July 2016, which affirmed the importance of integrated and balanced implementation of all four pillars of the GCTS, and expressing support for the creation and activities of the United Nations Office of Counter‑Terrorism (UNOCT), in accordance with General Assembly resolution 71/291 of 15 June 2017, and its central role in promoting the balanced implementation of the GCTS,
“Underscoring the importance of strong coordination and cooperation between CTED and UNOCT, as they work within their mandates and in their distinct roles to ensure effective United Nations engagement with Member States to improve the implementation of the GCTS in a balanced manner as well as other counterterrorism resolutions, and to ensure effective United Nations engagement with other relevant international, regional, and sub‑regional organizations, and key counterterrorism partners such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and relevant civil society, academia, think tanks, and the private sector, and noting the importance of engaging, as appropriate, with women-, youth-, and locally‑focused entities,
“Expressing grave concern that foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) who have joined entities such as ISIL, also known as Da’esh, the Al-Nusrah Front and other cells, affiliates, splinter groups or derivatives of ISIL or Al‑Qaida, may be seeking to return to their countries of origin or nationality, or to relocate to third countries, and recalling that all States shall in accordance with their relevant international obligations, including international human rights law, take specific actions to address the threat posed by FTFs and underscoring the urgent need to implement fully and immediately resolution 2178 (2014),
“Welcoming recent developments and initiatives at the international, regional, and subregional levels to prevent and suppress international terrorism, including the CTC’s 2015 Madrid Guiding Principles,
“Reiterating further the obligation of Member States to prevent the movement of terrorists or terrorist groups by, inter alia, effective border controls, and, in this context, urging Member States to exchange information expeditiously, improve cooperation among 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 and terrorist groups, and 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 to, and bring to justice, 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,
“Stressing that the development and maintenance of fair and effective criminal justice systems, with full respect for and commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms within a rule of law framework, must be central to any successful strategy to prevent and counter terrorism, noting the importance of Member State perspectives, and, noting the important role, leadership in capacity building, upon the request of Member States, and expertise of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), in coordination with other relevant United Nations agencies and relevant stakeholders, and encouraging CTED to cooperate closely with these entities,
“Expressing concern that terrorist groups are actively seeking ways to defeat or circumvent aviation security, and affirming the role of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the United Nations organization responsible for developing international aviation security standards, monitoring their implementation by States and its role in assisting states in complying with these standards, and welcoming the approval by ICAO of the Global Aviation Security Plan as the global framework for progressive aviation security enhancement, and encouraging CTED to cooperate closely with ICAO,
“Recognizing the challenges faced by Member States in the management of suspected and convicted terrorists in custody, encouraging Member States to collaborate and share best practices regarding well-managed custodial environments where human rights are respected and efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate convicted terrorists are made, and noting the work in this regard of UNODC, UNICRI, and other relevant stakeholders,
“Expressing concern regarding the connection, in some cases, between terrorism and transnational organized crime, including illicit trafficking in drugs, arms, and persons, as well as money-laundering, and emphasizing the need to enhance coordination of efforts at the local, national, subregional, regional, and international levels to respond to this serious challenge, in accordance with international law, and in the context of criminal justice and law enforcement systems with full respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law,
“Stressing the need to effectively counter the ways that ISIL, Al‑Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities use their narratives to incite and recruit others to commit terrorist acts, and further recalling in this regard resolution 2354 (2017) and the “Comprehensive International Framework to Counter Terrorist Narratives” (document S/2017/375) with recommended guidelines and good practices,
“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, and reaffirming also the obligation of Member States to freeze without delay funds and other financial assets or economic resources of persons or entities who commit, or attempt to commit terrorist acts or participate in or facilitate the commission of terrorist acts, and 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 terrorist organizations or individual terrorists for any purpose, including but not limited to recruitment, training, or travel, even in the absence of a link to a specific terrorist act, 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,
“Acknowledging the important work on countering the financing of terrorism of United Nations entities and other multilateral bodies and forums, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF‑style regional bodies, and encouraging CTED to cooperate closely with these entities,
“Recalling 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, and, in this regard, urging States to fully implement measures contained in resolution 2370 (2017),
“Recognizing the need for Member States to prevent, using a risk-based approach, 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 through risk mitigation measures, 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 FATF, and reiterating that States should identify and take effective and proportionate actions against non‑profit organizations that either are exploited by, or knowingly support, terrorists or terrorist organizations, taking into account the specifics of the case,
“Noting the work of the GCTF, in support of the balanced implementation of the GCTS, in particular its publication of several framework documents and good practices, including in the areas of countering violent extremism as conducive to terrorism, border security, soft targets, individuals radicalized to violence or directed by foreign terrorists, victims, criminal justice and the rule of law, returning and relocating foreign terrorist fighters and family members who travel with them, home‑grown terrorists, capacity building in Africa, prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration, and kidnapping for ransom, complementing the work of relevant United Nations counterterrorism entities in these areas, and encouraging CTED to continue its interaction with the GCTF to promote the full implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005), 2178 (2014), and other relevant counterterrorism resolutions,
“Recognizing the importance of civil society, including community‑based civil society, the private sector, academia, think tanks, media, youth, women, and cultural, educational, and religious leaders in increasing awareness about the threats of terrorism and more effectively tackling them,
“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,
“Stressing the need for Member States to act cooperatively to prevent terrorists from exploiting information and communication technologies, as well as the need for Member States to continue voluntary cooperation with the private sector and civil society to develop and implement more effective means to counter the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, including by developing counterterrorist narratives and through technological solutions, all while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and in compliance with domestic and international law, taking note of the industry led Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) and calling for the GIFCT to continue to increase engagement with governments and technology companies globally, and recognizing the development of the UN CTED‑ICT4 Peace Tech Against Terrorism initiative and its efforts to foster collaboration with representatives from the technology industry, including smaller technology companies, civil society, academia, and government to disrupt terrorists’ ability to use the internet in furtherance of terrorist purposes, while also respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,
“Urging Member States and the United Nations system to take measures, pursuant to international law, to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, and further emphasizing that countering violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, including preventing radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization of individuals into terrorist groups, is an essential element of addressing the threat to international peace and security posed by terrorism, in a balanced manner as set out in the GCTS,
“Reaffirming the need to increase attention to women and youth in all work on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, and noting the importance of incorporating, as appropriate, the participation of women and youth in developing strategies to counter terrorism and violent extremism which can be conducive to terrorism,
“Noting the crucial role of CTED within the United Nations and its expertise in assessing counterterrorism issues and in supporting the development and promotion of well-informed counterterrorism responses, and urging UNOCT and all other relevant UN bodies to take into account CTED recommendations and analysis in the implementation of their programs and mandates,
“Welcoming continuing cooperation on counterterrorism efforts between CTED, ICAO, UNODC, all other relevant UN bodies, and INTERPOL, in particular on technical assistance and capacity building, and strongly encouraging their further engagement with UNOCT to ensure overall coordination and coherence in the counterterrorism efforts of the United Nations system,
“Taking note of the “Technical Guide to the Implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and Other Relevant Resolutions” updated by CTED,
“1. Underlines that the overarching objective of the CTC is to ensure full implementation of resolution 1373 and recalls CTED’s central role in supporting the CTC 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 2021 and further decides to conduct by 31 December 2019 an interim review;
“3. Welcomes the adoption of and commends the “Report of the Counterterrorism Committee to the Security Council for its Comprehensive Consideration of the Work of the Counterterrorism Committee Executive Directorate for 2014‑2017”;
“4. Underscores that neutral, expert assessment of the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005), 2178 (2014), and other relevant resolutions, is the core function of CTED, and that the analysis and recommendations from these assessments are an invaluable aid to Member States in identifying and addressing gaps in implementation and capacity, and calls on UNOCT, all other relevant United Nations funds and programs, Member States, donors, and recipients to use these expert assessments as they design technical assistance and capacity‑building efforts, including in furthering the balanced implementation of the GCTS across all four of its pillars;
“5. Welcomes CTED’s cooperation with ICAO, UNODC, other relevant UN bodies, and INTERPOL, as well as relevant regional organizations, and urges CTED to continue to ensure that it invites representatives from these bodies to participate in its assessment work, so that they continue to contribute to the development of prioritized recommendations to build Member States’ capacity in the most pressing areas;
“6. Recognizes that CTED’s country visits, comprehensive assessments, and related follow‑up activity is mutually beneficial for Member States, the CTC, other United Nations entities, and relevant partner organizations as they initiate an ongoing dialogue between national actors and counterterrorism experts from across the United Nations system and from relevant partner organizations;
“7. Directs the CTC, with the support of CTED, to determine on an annual basis a list of Member States that CTED should request consent to visit for the purpose of conducting assessments, and underscores that the composition of the list should take a risk-based approach that acknowledges existing gaps, emerging issues, trends, events, and analysis, while also taking into account prior requests by Member States and consent previously expressed, as well as the fact that a number of Member States have never been visited, and underscores further that the CTC, with the support of CTED, may decide, after the adoption of the list, on changes to its composition, as necessary, emphasizing transparency in planning for visits and producing ensuing reports;
“8. Directs CTED, through its visits, assessments, and analytical work on emerging issues, trends, and developments to support Member States and United Nations entities in taking measures, pursuant to international law, to address conditions conducive to terrorism and violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, in accordance with the United Nations Global Counterterrorism Strategy, in coordination with and support of UNOCT;
“9. Directs CTED to report to the CTC by 30 March 2018 on potential ways to strengthen the assessment process, including through considering targeted and focused follow‑up visits as complements to CTED’s comprehensive assessments, using, as appropriate and bearing in mind CTED’s global mandate, a risk-based approach in response to evolving threats, shortening, in so far as possible, timelines for drafting and review of reports, bearing in mind differences in Member State capacity, enhancing fair and consistent application of assessment tools, and, at the behest of assessed Member States, engaging with counter‑terrorism experts in civil society, academia, think tanks, and the private sector, including in visits to and assessments of Member States, as a complement to primary engagement with Member State actors to allow them to highlight productive counterterrorism efforts, so that assessments are more useful, accessible, and targeted to specific audiences;
“10. Requests the CTC Chair to invite senior officials from assessed Member States to attend relevant CTC meetings, and requests further the Chair to invite assessed Member States to coordinate with CTED and UNOCT on implementation of CTED recommendations, and for CTED to report within 12 months after the initial assessment report to the CTC on steps taken to implement the recommendations of the assessment, bearing in mind differences in capacity and availability of resources, as well as the need for technical assistance in the implementation of some recommendations, and directs CTED to make recommendations to the CTC about the need for additional follow‑up activities, as appropriate, to further implementation of assessment recommendations, including, as appropriate, additional technical assistance;
“11. Directs CTED to report to the CTC in a timely manner, on a regular basis or when the CTC so requests, through oral and/or written briefings on the work of CTED, including its visits to Member States, status of coordination with relevant United Nations bodies, engagement with relevant non‑United Nations actors, conduct of assessments, representation of 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 resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005), 2178 (2014), and other relevant resolutions, and, in this context, requests the CTC, with the support of CTED, to continue to hold periodic meetings, including with a regional or thematic focus, for all Member States and underscores the importance of CTED’s work to the CTC and, in this context, looks forward to a special meeting to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001) and the establishment of the CTC;
“12. Requests the CTC to report, 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), and taking into account its efforts to strengthen coordination with other United Nations bodies, facilitate provision of consent from Member States for country visits and reports, improve implementation of recommendations, and how its assessments and analytical work has contributed toward improvements in Member States’ counterterrorism efforts, and expresses its intention to hold informal consultations at least once per year on the work of the CTC;
“13. Directs CTED to make country assessments, recommendations, surveys, and analytical products available throughout the United Nations system, especially to UNOCT and United Nations counterterrorism-relevant agencies, funds, and programs, in order to better align United Nations technical assistance and capacity building with gaps in implementation and capacity identified by CTED, as well as in support of balanced implementation of the GCTS, except when requested by the assessed Member States to keep selected information confidential, and further directs CTED to enhance sharing of its findings with Member States and relevant counterterrorism partners, as appropriate and in consultation with the CTC, in international, regional, and subregional organizations, the GCTF, academia, think tanks, civil society, and the private sector, including through improved web access, outreach, workshops, open briefings, and utilization of the CTED Global Research Network (GRN), noting the importance of its geographic diversity;
“14. Reiterates the essential role of CTED within the United Nations to identify and assess issues, trends, and developments relating to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005) and 2178 (2014), and other relevant resolutions, and in cooperation with UNOCT, to support balanced implementation of the GCTS, and also to advise the CTC on practical ways for Member States to implement these resolutions, and reiterates also the importance of work with relevant partners in this area, including through the GRN;
“15. Recognizes CTED’s relationships with relevant experts and practitioners in Member States, relevant international, regional, and subregional organizations, academia, think tanks, civil society, and the private sector, and takes note of the value of these experts and practitioners in briefings, workshops, the GRN, and open meetings to support the efforts of the CTC to advance implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005) and 2178 (2014), and other relevant counter‑terrorism resolutions and to promote analysis of emerging threats, trends, and developments;
“16. Encourages Member States to consider developing comprehensive and integrated national counterterrorism strategies and effective mechanisms to implement them that include attention to the conditions conducive to terrorism, in accordance with their obligations under international law, and encourages further CTED to cooperate with Member States and international, regional, and subregional organizations, and other relevant partners, upon request, to assess and advise on formulating comprehensive and integrated national and regional counterterrorism strategies and the mechanisms to implement them, in close cooperation with UNOCT, other relevant UN agencies, and UN field offices, including, as appropriate, through engagement with UNDP, with a view to ensuring coherence and complementarity of efforts and to avoid any duplication in the effort to further implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and other relevant resolutions, and to support balanced implementation of the GCTS;
“17. Recalls that CTED provided to the CTC, in accordance with resolution 2129 (2013), Global Implementation Surveys (GIS) of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), takes note of the identified shortfalls with regard to the implementation of the aforementioned resolutions, directs CTED to produce updated versions of these GIS, and further directs CTED to provide to the CTC prior to 30 June 2018 a report with recommendations on its survey tools, including the GIS, Detailed Implementation Survey, and Overview of Implementation Assessment, to improve their utility to Member States, donors, recipients, UNOCT, other United Nations agencies for the purpose of designing technical assistance and capacity‑building support, and requests this report consider new mandates given to CTED by relevant resolutions, streamline the number of questions, and consider the most effective use of qualitative and quantitative data;
“18. Stresses that the heads of CTED and UNOCT should meet regularly to discuss areas of mutual interest and the incorporation of CTED recommendations and analysis into UNOCT’s work, particularly in implementation of technical assistance and capacity building, and directs UNOCT and CTED to draft a joint report by 30 March 2018 setting out practical steps to be taken by both bodies to ensure the incorporation of CTED recommendations and analysis into UNOCT’s work, to be considered by the CTC, as well as the General Assembly in the context of the GCTS review;
“19. Encourages the Chair of the CTC to invite UNOCT at the most senior level to brief the CTC on a twice annual basis on UNOCT’s work, especially progress in incorporating CTED recommendations and analysis into the implementation of its programs and mandates, and further encourages the CTC Chair, with the assistance of CTED, to conduct follow-up meetings with UNOCT on coordination with CTED, as well as to invite UNOCT to participate regularly in meetings on relevant issues;
“20. Encourages CTED to also support the work of UNOCT, by advising its leadership and assisting in development of counterterrorism information shared with the Secretary General and other senior leaders of the United Nations, as well as by supporting and joining UNOCT leadership, as appropriate, in preparation for, participation in, and hosting of workshops and conferences;
“21. Reminds Member States that effective measures to counter terrorism and violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism and respect for human rights are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and essential to success, notes the importance of respect for the rule of law in effectively combating terrorism, welcomes the role, in this regard, of relevant civil society, academia, think tanks, and the private sector, especially women-, youth-, and locally‑focused actors, and encourages CTED to further develop its activities to ensure that all human rights and rule of law issues relevant to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005), 2178 (2014) and other relevant resolutions are addressed as an important component of CTED’s country visits, assessments, analysis of emerging issues, trends, and developments, and facilitation of technical assistance;
“22. 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, and stresses the importance of full and effective implementation of the relevant resolutions and appropriately addressing the issues related to the lack thereof;
“23. Encourages CTED, in close cooperation with UNOCT, 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 violent extremism and intolerance and to facilitate technical assistance for its implementation, as called for in resolution 1624 (2005) and the United Nations GCTS;
“24. Expresses its profound solidarity with the victims of terrorism and their families, and encourages CTED, in close cooperation with UNOCT, to take into account the important roles victims and their networks can play, including through the credibility of their voices, in countering terrorism;
“25. Recognizes FATF expertise in countering terrorist financing, in particular identifying and working with Member States with strategic anti‑money laundering and countering terrorist financing deficiencies, and welcomes the FATF report on Emerging Terrorist Financing Risks (2015) and FATF guidance on criminalizing terrorist financing (2016), and ongoing FATF work related to terrorist financing, and calls upon the FATF to undertake further work on identifying how to improve global implementation of counter‑terrorist financing measures, and strongly urges all Member States to implement the comprehensive international standards embodied in the FATF revised Forty Recommendations on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation, and encourages CTED to pursue close cooperation with the FATF to advance effective implementation of counter‑terrorist financing recommendations, including in particular on Recommendation 6 on targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorist financing and enhancing use by Member States of this key counter‑terrorist financing tool;
“26. Recognizes CTED’s work on countering use of the internet and social media in furtherance of terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and taking into account Member State compliance with applicable obligations under international law, and taking note of the need to preserve global connectivity and the free and secure flow of information facilitating economic development, communication, participation and access to information, and stresses the importance of cooperation with civil society and the private sector in this endeavour;
“27. Welcomes the collaboration between CTED and the 1267 Committee Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, and reiterates the need to enhance ongoing cooperation among the CTC and CTED and United Nations Security Council counter‑terrorism bodies, including 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: enhanced information‑sharing, coordination on visits to countries, coordination on facilitating and monitoring technical assistance, and other cooperative measure to assist Member States in their efforts to comply with their obligations under the relevant resolutions;
“28. Reiterates the call for CTED to integrate gender as a cross‑cutting issue throughout its activities, including within country‑specific assessments and reports, recommendations made to Member States, facilitating technical assistance to Member States, and briefings to the Council, encourages CTED to hold consultations with women and women’s organizations to inform its work, and urges CTED in collaboration with UN Women to conduct and gather gender-sensitive research and data collection on the drivers of radicalization to terrorism for women, and the impacts of counter‑terrorism strategies on women’s human rights and women’s organizations;
“29. Encourages CTED to integrate the impact of terrorism on children and children’s rights into its work, as appropriate, especially in regards to issues related to the families of returning and relocating FTFs;
“30. Encourages continued, closer cooperation between ICAO and CTED, in particular by working together on identifying gaps and vulnerabilities relevant to counter‑terrorism and aviation security, promoting the work and tools of each agency, and coordinating closely on CTED assessments and the development of recommendations, noting that Annex 9 and Annex 17 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation contain standards and recommended practices relevant to the detection and prevention of terrorist threats involving civil aviation, including cargo screening, and welcoming ICAO’s decision to establish a standard on the use of Advance Passenger Information (API) systems by its Member States and reaffirming the importance of Member States developing the capability to process Passenger Name Records (PNR) data and to ensure PNR data is used by the relevant national competent authorities, with full respect for human rights, for the purpose of preventing, detecting, and investigating terrorist offenses;
“31. Encourages CTED to work with relevant partners, including UNODC and UNOCT, and in consultation with the CTC, to avoid duplication of effort and to support efforts to enhance international law enforcement and judicial cooperation, including by, inter alia, identifying areas where it is appropriate to deliver technical assistance to Member States, upon their request, including through the training of prosecutors, judges, and other relevant officials involved in international cooperation, particularly by providing analysis on capacity gaps and recommendations based on CTED’s assessments and analysis, including on the designation of Central Authorities or other relevant criminal justice authorities involved with mutual legal assistance and extradition activities, and to ensure that such authorities have adequate resources, training and legal authority, in particular for terrorism related offences;
“32. Encourages CTED to support Member States in developing or further improving their strategies for reducing risks to critical infrastructure and soft targets from terrorist attacks, to include, inter alia, assessing and raising awareness of the relevant risks, taking preparedness measures, including effective responses to such attacks, and promoting better interoperability, and recalls the adoption by the GCTF of the “The Antalya Memorandum on the Protection of Soft Targets in a Counterterrorism Context,” and encourages CTED to take it into account, including in facilitation of facilitating technical assistance to Member States;
“33. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”