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

CTED attends APEC workshop on protection of “soft” targets

AKHVEDELID — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 05:48:00 +0000

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Participants in the workshop.

The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) took part in a workshop on the protection of “soft” targets against terrorist attacks, held in Tokyo on 24 and 25 April 2018 by the United States and U.S.-APEC Technical Assistance to Advance Regional Integration (US-ATAARI), under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Counter-Terrorism Working Group.

The workshop brought together representatives of Governments, international organizations, and private industry to discuss regional terrorist threats against public spaces and the challenges involved in protecting them, as well as to share knowledge, experiences, and good practices.

CTED briefed participants on Member States’ implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, noting in particular that the adoption of resolution 2341 (2017) had marked the first time that the Council had specifically addressed the need to protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks, including by developing or strengthening risk-reduction strategies.

The resolution called on States to assess, and raise awareness of, the risks; take preparedness measures (including the development of effective responses); promote interoperability in security and consequence management; and facilitate effective interaction among all stakeholders.

Moreover, Council resolution 2396 (also adopted in 2017) highlighted the need to establish and strengthen national, regional, and international partnerships with public and private stakeholders.

CTED also informed participants about its development of a compendium of good practices on the protection of critical infrastructure. The compendium was being developed under the auspices of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) Working Group on the Protection of Critical Infrastructure, including Vulnerable Targets, Internet, and Tourism Security, and would be presented to Member States in June 2018.

Participants noted the need to map the initiatives and guidance currently available in this area.

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Chile’s Financial Analysis Unit and Ministry for External Relations convene international experts in terrorism financing workshop

BMUSONI — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:07:00 +0000

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For three days, representatives of the economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum met in Santiago, Chile, to analyze the sanctions regimes of the Security Council of the United Nations related to terrorism and terrorist financing.

“Halting terrorist financing: APEC workshop on targeted financial sanctions regime,” hosted by APEC, was inaugurated on 6 November 2017 by the Directors of the institutions organizing the event, Javier Cruz Tamburrino of the Financial Analysis Unit (UAF), and Frank Tressler from the Directorate of International and Human Security (DISIN) of the Ministry for External Relations of Chile.

On the first day of the workshop, presentations were provided by Javier Martínez with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) of the United Nations; Juan Cruz Ponce with the Financial Action Task Force of Latin America (Gafilat); and Esteban Fullin, Advisor on Anti-Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism for Latin America and the Caribbean, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

On 7 November, Hagan Barnett (Head of the Anti-Terrorism Section of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury), Dmitry Vitashov (Deputy Head of the Department of Counter-Terrorist Financing of Rosfinmonitoring, Russian Federal Financial Monitoring System), and James Nachipo (Director of the Terrorism Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia) shared their countries’ experience in the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1373 (2001) (on terrorism and the financing of terrorism), and the Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Javier Martínez outlined the obligations that the resolutions of the UN Security Council impose on countries to maintain or restore international peace and security, especially after the terrorist attacks perpetrated against the United States on 11 September 2001. Mr. Martínez presented asset freezing requirements under resolution 1373 (2001) and how they differ from the asset freezing provisions contained in resolutions 1267 (1999) and subsequent ones; he also briefly presented resolution 2178 (2014) on stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters.

Juan Cruz Ponce explained the scope of FATF Recommendations no. 5, 6, and 7 on financial sanctions aimed to counter terrorism, the financing of terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The UN Security Council resolutions require countries to freeze funds or other assets without delay, and to ensure that no funds or other assets are made available, directly or indirectly, to the persons or entities included in the Lists of the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committees.

Meanwhile, Esteban Fullin briefed on emerging risks in terrorism financing, including new payment methods used by foreign terrorist fighters, as well as possible links with organized crime, and described the risks involved for non-profit organizations that are exploited for the financing of terrorism.

The event concluded on 8 November with practical exercises, in which the representatives of Australia, Chile, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam had to detect the existence of terrorist financing in various operations and transactions.

Participants included experts from the National Intelligence Agency, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Carabineros de Chile, the Investigation Police, the National Customs Service, the Financial Analysis Unit, the Supreme Court, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Interior, and Public Safety.

In thanking APEC for its support, the Director of the UAF, Javier Cruz Tamburrino, expressed his appreciation for the workshop “because it allows all of us to train and improve our abilities and skills that are required to effectively detect terrorist financing operations”.

“Knowing how to implement systems and use good practices from other economies in order to prevent and detect money laundering and the financing of terrorism is key to strengthening the legal mission of the UAF, especially after the publication, in February 2015, of the modifications to our Law No. 19.913 that empowers us not only to detect signs of terrorist financing in suspicious transactions reported by our obligated parties, but also to adopt measures, for example, to freeze assets, in case of accrediting acts or transactions of persons or entities listed in the Lists of the Security Council of the United Nations,” he concluded.

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Addressing CTC, Australia stresses need for regional and international partnerships

BMUSONI — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 16:03:00 +0000

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Addressing a meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), Australia stressed the need to develop strong regional and international partnerships in combating terrorism and violent extremism.

Speaking at the Committee’s 27 July 2017 meeting in New York, Mr. Robert Delaney, First Assistant Secretary, Attorney-General’s Department of Australia, briefed members on the terrorist threat to Australia and South-East Asia, as well as on Australia’s recent legislative responses.

In countering terrorism and violent extremism, there was a need for an integrated, global approach that incorporated multilateral approaches, regional cooperation, national strategies, and engagement at the local level, including by civil society, he said. The continued engagement of the United Nations in the region was vital.

States of the region faced a number of challenges, including lengthy, porous borders; the increasing convergence of terrorist groups; lack of intelligence-sharing; terrorist financing; and online terrorist propaganda. The propaganda spread by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da’esh) had resonated with regional extremists, Mr. Delaney said.

There had been an increase in ISIL-inspired attacks in the region since 2016, and at least 600 individuals from the region were currently fighting in the conflict zones of the Middle East.

Australia’s regional engagement includes close cooperation with numerous partner organizations, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC), and the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT). It also participates in regional counter-terrorism initiatives and has collaborated with the Abu Dhabi-based Hedayah Centre to develop a compendium of regional counter-narratives.

CTC members recalled the importance of all relevant Security Council resolutions and recognised Australia’s efforts in counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism in this regard.

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