Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - 2178

Major challenges remain, Executive Director of CTED tells Security Council in meeting on foreign terrorist fighters

BMUSONI — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 17:03:00 +0000

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Although Member States have made progress in many areas to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, major challenges still remain, Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Michèle Coninsx, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) told the Security Council in a meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. In her first briefing to the Council, on 28 November 2017, ASG Coninsx provided a number of examples of existing gaps in the implementation of Security Council resolution 2178 (2014). Fewer than 60 States have so far introduced measures requiring airlines to provide advance passenger information (or API) – meaning that for over 100 Member States verifying the possible presence of a foreign terrorist fighter onboard an aircraft is very difficult. Furthermore, many States still require assistance in establishing the necessary connectivity between national databases and border posts.

In terms of the phenomenon of so-called lone actors perpetrating terrorist acts, ASG Coninsx stressed that they often have received support or resources from elsewhere, including via the Internet or social media. Terrorists are also increasingly using new technologies to transfer funds to such individuals.

“If we are to continue to make progress in promoting and implementing […] the resolution, we must continue to strengthen the partnerships between and among Member States, UN agencies, and partner organizations. Or, to put it another way: it takes networks to beat networks,” ASG Coninsx concluded.

Watch ASG Coninsx’ briefing to the Security Council here.

Watch the webcast of the entire meeting here.

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CTED facilitates Tunis workshop on countering terrorism and violent extremism

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

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The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) facilitated a workshop on “Strengthening Community Engagement in Implementing Security Council resolutions 1624 (2005) and 2178 (2014) and the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy” in Tunis, Tunisia, from 19 to 20 July 2017.

The workshop was organized in cooperation with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) – The Hague and the Human Security Collective, with the support of the Government of Tunisia and funding from the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT).

The event brought together representatives of Tunisia’s National Commission on the Fight against Terrorism (Commission Nationale de la Lutte contre le Terrorisme, CNLT); representatives of Tunisian ministries; civil-society and private-sector representatives; and international experts, including from other North African States. Representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also participated.

The workshop featured a presentation by the Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who explained measures taken by the city to promote greater engagement with local communities, particularly youth, in countering radicalization leading to terrorism, including through job training and civic-engagement programmes.

CTED referred to the relevant Security Council resolutions identifying engagement with communities and other social actors as part of an effective approach to countering incitement and violent extremism.

Speakers also underlined the value of comprehensive approaches that took account of the underlying conditions conducive to terrorism and violent extremism, as well as the need to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law in all counter-terrorism efforts.

The event provided an opportunity to explore ways in which Government bodies, civil society and the private sector can cooperate most effectively in implementing strategies to address the full range of counter-terrorism and CVE issues, including the question of factors that lead to terrorist activities, as highlighted in Security Council resolution 2129 (2013).

The United Nations Acting Resident Coordinator informed participants that the United Nations Country Team in Tunisia was ready to support all relevant efforts taken by the Government.

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Regional conference in Vilnius stresses the crucial need for effective international judicial cooperation in terrorism-related cases

BMUSONI — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 19:11:00 +0000

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Building Effective Central Authorities for International Judicial Cooperation in Terrorism Cases, a regional conference run by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with substantive expert support of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC/TPB), was held in Vilnius (Lithuania) on 25-27 November 2014.

The transnational nature of terrorism, like all transnational organized crime, poses serious challenges for national justice systems. Creating effective central authorities to channel international cooperation in criminal matters is an essential element of the efforts made by States to bring terrorists to justice in an effective and timely manner. The ability to promptly request and provide extradition and mutual legal assistance (MLA) in criminal matters is particularly important in terrorism cases.

Practitioners from 12 countries (Eastern and Central Europe, Caucasus, and Turkey), experts from international and regional organizations, as well as guest experts from Belgium, Israel, and Switzerland, took part in the event. All countries covered by the conference have designated at least one central authority responsible for handling MLA and extradition requests. In most cases, the central authority is the Ministry of Justice, or the Office of the Prosecutor General. In some circumstances, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also involved in the proceedings. Most countries have more than one central authority competent depending on whether the request is made at the investigative / pre-trial stage or when the case is already before a court or a judgement has been rendered. Some but not all States have different central authorities for MLA and extradition requests, respectively. In addition, in some States, the procedures require an intermediary department, which receives and then forwards the requests to the executing agency.

Having discussed various challenges and good practices encountered in the context of regional and external cooperation in criminal matters, and in particular terrorism related cases, the representatives of national delegations suggested a number of recommendations and ways to improve their existing mechanisms. These included the creation and use of informal networks and bilateral discussions prior to sending formal requests; increasing the number of bilateral and multilateral agreements; adhering to flexible approaches; the use of follow-up procedures; making guidance and standard forms available to foreign counter-parts in several languages. INTERPOL presented information about new tools being developed to facilitate and speed up the transmission of MLA and extradition requests. Specifically with regards terrorism cases, participants discussed challenges related to MLA and extradition requests involving refugees and the cooperation in countering and preventing the foreign terrorist fighters phenomenon.

This regional conference was the third meeting to be organized within the framework of a global three-year joint project of the UNODC/TPB and CTED on building effective central authorities for international judicial cooperation in terrorism cases. Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and subsequent resolutions, including resolution 2178 (2014), require that States afford one another the greatest measure of assistance in connection with criminal investigations or criminal proceedings relating to the perpetration, financing, or support of terrorist acts, including assistance in obtaining evidence in their possession necessary for the proceedings, and investigations or proceedings involving foreign terrorist fighters.

More information about the workshop is available at here

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Regional workshop on bringing terrorists to justice held in Kenya

BMUSONI — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:11:00 +0000

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The UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Government of Kenya, acting in cooperation with the Global Center on Cooperative Security and in accordance with Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 2178 (2014), held a workshop on “Bringing Terrorists to Justice” from 22 to 24 October 2014 at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, the second of its kind.

The three-day workshop focussed on the conversion of information into evidence in terrorism cases. It notably included an interactive case study, designed to promote the principle of early cooperation and coordination, in which participating police officers and prosecutors worked together to identify and follow-up on investigative leads and develop the elements for a successful prosecution (including the collection of admissible evidence) in the context of preventive terrorist offences.

Around 25 law enforcement and intelligence officers and prosecutors from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda explored a range of good practices to overcome the challenges of complex terrorism investigations, such as the use of inter-agency and cross-border cooperation to prevent and counter terrorism through the judicial process. Experts from CTED, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the African Prosecutors’ Association, the French judiciary, the Institute for Security Studies and the Global Center also participated.

The workshop was hosted by the Government of Kenya and implemented with the support of the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. The challenges addressed had been previously identified by participants in the First Regional Workshop for Law Enforcement Officers and Prosecutors in East Africa, held in Kampala in May 2013.

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In Counter-Terrorism Committee briefing, African States share best practices in preventing incitement to terrorism

BMUSONI — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 16:03:00 +0000

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In an open briefing on 30 September 2014 held at the United Nations in New York, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) discussed Countering incitement to commit terrorist acts motivated by extremism and intolerance: the Kingdom of Morocco’s approach and experiences of other African States.
H.E. Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitë, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations, recalled the origins of the theme of this open briefing: during the Committee’s 2013 visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, it had identified Morocco’s national strategy to promote dialogue among civilizations as a good practice to be shared among other States.

“Whether in developing or developed States, religious leaders can play a pivotal role in creating an environment of peaceful coexistence. By promoting intrareligious and interreligious reflection and dialogue, governments can help build trust within societies and within public institutions,” said the Chair.
The role of religious institutions falls within the scope of Security Council resolution 1624 from 2005, as it targets in particular the threat of terrorism incitement, and calls upon States to counter incitement and prevent the subversion of religious institutions by terrorist and their supporters. In its resolution 2178 adopted on 24 September 2014, the Council stressed that countering violent extremism was essential to addressing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters and encouraged States to empower religious leaders in developing strategies to counter the violent extremist narrative.
Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, speaking on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said that the evolution of the terrorist threat in new and unpredictable directions was among the most serious challenges faced by the international community. The actions of the international community must address the immediate security challenges, the political context, and underlying long-term grievances. They must also be undertaken in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law, he stressed.
H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, noted that the Security Council in its recently adopted resolution 2178 (2014) for the first time had underscored the importance of countering violent extremism as a key element in effective responses to the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters.
H.E. Mr. Nasser Bourita, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco, underscored Morocco’s commitment to counter-terrorism and its firm belief that the fight against terrorism was a collective endeavour of all members of the international community. Morocco’s approach to counter-terrorism, he said, was (i) pragmatic, in so far as it was adaptable to the evolving situation on the ground; (ii) coherent, in that initiatives at the national level were compatible with regional and international efforts; and (iii) global, in the sense that it represented a comprehensive approach that included security measures, socio-economic development, and the religious dimension. Political stability and good security governance were indispensable, but there was also a need to strengthen efforts to fight poverty, inequality and social exclusion.
H.E. Mr. Ahmed Toufik, Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco, underscored that Morocco’s approach to managing religious affairs in the context of combatting terrorism had not originally been designed specifically to address terrorism, but had proven effective in preventing radicalization and the abuse of religion for terrorist purposes. Morocco’s policy, he said, rested on three pillars. The first was political legitimacy, which was derived from the King’s position as the Commander of the Faithful and the oath of allegiance pledged to him. The second was religious leadership, provided by the High Council for Religious Affairs, which issued fatwas pertaining to political life and social activity and was widely recognized within Moroccan society as the sole authority on such matters. The third was the provision of religious services, which included an emphasis on religious education. Religious scholars therefore guided people towards a moderate understanding of religion and devised fatwas through an institutionalized authority, thereby protecting them from the influence of extremists.
Other speakers on the panel included Mr. Yassine Mansouri, Director General of the Directorate General of Studies and Documentation of the Kingdom of Morocco; H.E. Mr. Thierno Amadou Omar Hass Diallo, Minister of Religious Affairs and Worship of the Republic of Mali; H.E. Mr. Abdellah Jassi, Secretary-General, Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Guinea; Mr. Cisse Djiguiba, Director-General of La Radio Nationale Islamique Al-Bayane, Côte d’Ivoire; and H.E. Mr. Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, Founder and President of the Abu Dhabi-based Forum for Promoting ��AV in Muslim Societies.
Following the question and answer session, Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, CTED Executive Director, closed the open briefing, inter alia underlining that “In order to effectively counter the extremism and intolerance that drove incitement to commit terrorism, it is important to address the conditions conducive to the spread and incitement of terrorism.”

[French]

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Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Executive Director of CTED reiterate support to Yemen

BMUSONI — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 21:29:00 +0000

The Chair and the Executive Director reiterated their strong support for Yemen in combatting terrorism, including Yemen’s efforts to tackle the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, especially amidst the political instability and security threats rocking the country. Foreign terrorist fighters are on the international agenda and particularly on the Security Council’s agenda, particularly in light of the recent adoption of Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), which was co-sponsored by Yemen.

In resolution 2178 (2014), the Security Council requires countries to take certain steps to address the threat from these fighters, including preventing suspected foreign terrorist fighters from entering or transiting their territories and to ensure and implement legislation to prosecute these individuals. The resolution calls on States to undertake various steps to improve international cooperation in this field, such as by sharing information related to criminal investigations and prosecutions. Furthermore, the document inter alia requests the Counter-Terrorism Committee, within its existing mandate and with the support of CTED, to identify principal gaps in Member States’ capacities to implement Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005) that may hinder States’ abilities to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters.
The Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Executive Director of its Executive Directorate (CTED) pledged to fulfil this mandate and continue its active engagement and cooperation with Yemen to this end.

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