Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - Report

Despite being under continuous military pressure, ISIL remains an active and transnational threat, according to new report from the UN Secretary-General

BMUSONI — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 16:13:00 +0000

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Since January 2016, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or Da’esh) has remained under continuous military pressure and experienced several setbacks in the Syrian Republic and in Iraq. The number of ISIL fighters is estimated to have diminished to between 12,000 and 20,000. It is nevertheless critical for Member States to remain vigilant, as the active and increasingly transnational threat that this and other terrorist groups represent continues to severely undermine international peace and security. These are among the key points from the Secretary-General’s 5^th report on The threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat.

Published on 31 May 2017, the report (S/2017/467) was submitted as a follow-up to Security Council resolution 2253 (2015), which requests the Secretary-General to submit updates every four months on the threat that ISIL represents to the international community and the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations.

“In Europe, ISIL has used its online presence to encourage supporters to mount attacks in their countries of residence. This has led to multiple attacks, including in Belgium, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Some attacks were carried out by foreign terrorist fighter returnees, while others were conducted by individuals who had not travelled to conflict zones. Despite being sometimes labelled as ‘lone actors,’ investigations demonstrate that the perpetrators often received support or resources from facilitators and, in a number of cases, were in direct contact with ISIL enablers,” noted Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman during his briefing to the Security Council on 8 June 2017.

ISIL is at a critical moment in terms of its financial situation, according to the report. The group has suffered a reversal of fortune over the last 16 months. Most of the group’s funding comes from taxes and coercive extraction from agricultural or commercial activity. In addition, ISIL has drawn income from antiquities smuggling, sale of electricity, exploitation of mineral resources, external donations, kidnapping for ransom, and human trafficking. The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict has documented instances of the selling, gifting, and trading of women and children among fighters as another source of income.

The report highlights the importance of effective monitoring of terrorist exploitation of information and communications technology, as well as the benefits of developing prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration strategies for returning foreign terrorist fighters in accordance with Security Council resolution 2178 (2014).

The report was prepared with the input of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), in close collaboration with the Monitoring Team of the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, as well as other relevant United Nations actors and international organizations.

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CTED presents first trends report – on the protection of critical infrastructure

BMUSONI — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 16:13:00 +0000

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In a dedicated debate, the Security Council on 13 February 2017 called upon Member States to address the risk of terrorist attacks against critical infrastructure. Through its resolution 2341, adopted on the same date, the Council directs its Counter-Terrorism Committee, with the support of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), to examine Member States’ efforts to protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks.

As a direct follow-up to this resolution, CTED has produced a first Trends Report – on the Physical protection of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks. Based on information gathered from partners in the Committee’s Global Counter-Terrorism Research Network, the report is intended to bring to the attention of policymakers the analytical perspectives of academia and international and regional organizations. Prepared for informational purposes only, this work is also part of CTED’s mandate stemming from Security Council resolution 2129 (2013), which requests CTED to identify emerging issues, trends, and developments, and to further engage and enhance its partnership with academia and other entities in conducting research and information-gathering. The report does not necessarily represent the views of the Committee or any of its members.

The Trends Report is available here.

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Second report by the Secretary-General to the Security Council stresses that threat posed by ISIL remains high

BMUSONI — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 14:07:00 +0000

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Wide view of the Chamber. Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts Report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (DaÕesh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat (S/2016/501)

On 8 June 2016, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman briefed the Security Council on the United Nations Secretary-General’s second report on The threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security, Member States’ efforts to implement counter measures, and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat. The report (S/2016/501) was submitted as a direct follow-up to Security Council resolution 2253 (2015), which requests the Secretary-General to submit updates every four months on the threat that ISIL represents to the international community and the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations.

According to the report – which was prepared with input by the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), in close collaboration with the Monitoring Team, as well as other relevant United Nations actors – the threat posed by ISIL and its associates remains high and continues to diversify. The terrorist organization’s military setbacks in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic may have triggered it to move into a new phase, elevating the role of its affiliates, trying to transfer funds outside the current zones of conflict, and increasing the risk of complex, multi-wave, international attacks.

Full remarks are available here.

The webcast of the meeting can be accessed here.

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