Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoSecurity Council
7962nd Security Council Meeting: Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts
Despite Iraq, Syria Losses, Under-Secretary-General Warns Group Gaining Ground in East Africa, Afghanistan, South-East Asia...
While Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) was being hobbled by lost territory and shrinking financial resources, collective efforts must be intensified to finally put an end to the terrorist group’s attacks in the region and beyond and to eradicate its deadly propaganda online, speakers told the Security Council today.
Presenting the Secretary-General’s latest report on the threat posed by ISIL to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, described recent developments, demonstrating how the terrorist group had been weakened financially and pushed out of areas in Iraq and Syria.
Indeed, Member States were making progress, he said, including by adopting legal frameworks to address financing and foreign fighter threats. In addition, States, the United Nations and international, regional and subregional organizations had continued to strengthen existing tools while developing new ones. He also reminded the Council that the Secretary-General had recommended the establishment of a new office of counter-terrorism, which was currently being considered by the General Assembly.
But, more must be done, he said, as ISIL persisted in making inroads in regions around the world, with affiliates emerging in East Africa, Afghanistan and South-East Asia. Further, monthly financing from the sale of hydrocarbons and extortion still amounted to tens of millions of dollars and ISIL’s online presence continued to inspire attacks worldwide, he said, highlighting the report’s focus on the need to further choke financing, tackle the courage of foreign terrorist fighters and battle the group’s Internet presence.
When the floor opened for discussion, speakers pointed to a range of ways the Council had aimed at doing that, including through resolution 2253 (2015), which expanded the Al-Qaida sanctions framework to include a focus on ISIL. Some speakers, including those from the United States and the Russian Federation, also explained how their efforts had helped to wrest territory from the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.
Council members whose countries had been targeted by terrorist attacks shared their perspectives. The United Kingdom’s representative said such attacks had failed in weakening a common resolve to combat the scourge of terrorism. “We are defeating Da’esh on the ground,” he said, noting gains in Iraq and soon in Raqqa, Syria. “It is only a matter of time before Da’esh loses its capital.” Echoing that theme, France’s delegate stressed that those who sought to destroy freedom and democracy with barbarism would face a formidable battle, one in which the United Nations must play its role.
Others offered new ideas and perspectives, with many expressing support for a three-pronged approach targeting finances, foreign fighter flows and online propaganda, as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report.
Some highlighted specific obstacles to success in that regard. Egypt’s representative noted the challenge transit States faced in their inability to detain, prosecute and extradite suspected foreign terrorist fighters. To remedy that, he requested recommendations from the Secretariat regarding the actions the Council could take to fill that legal gap.
Raising concerns about the ongoing presence of terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia’s representative expressed a more general observation, saying the world had yet to agree on making the fight against terror a common top priority. “We are not there yet,” he said. “This is a case of not putting one’s money where one’s mouth is.”
During the meeting, delegates extended condolences to the people and Government of Iran in the wake of a terrorist attack in Tehran on 8 June.
Also delivering statements today were representatives of Sweden, Uruguay, Japan, Italy, Ukraine, China, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Bolivia.
The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 11:52 a.m.
