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8364th Security Council Meeting: Briefings by Chairs of Subsidiary Bodies
As terrorist groups and their ever‑evolving tactics become increasingly diffuse and creative, United Nations counter-terrorism bodies — including the Security Council’s committees established to combat the phenomenon — must also remain flexible and adapt quickly, the 15‑member organ heard today, as the committees’ chairs provided an overview of their recent work.
Sacha Sergio Llorentty Solíz (Bolivia), Chair of the Committee created pursuant to Council resolution 1540 (2004) concerning non‑proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, presented a joint statement on behalf of his committee and two others focused on counter-terrorism and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al‑Qaida sanctions, respectively. Noting that the three bodies are carrying out their work against the backdrop of an increasingly complex, volatile and challenging global security landscape, he said terrorist groups, their affiliates and cells continue to adapt their tactics and methods using modern means of communication to recruit, finance, incite, plan and execute attacks against “soft targets”. Meanwhile, foreign terrorist fighters’ returnees and relocators pose new threats to countries of their origin, nationality and third countries.
Briefing the Council on the work of the “1540 Committee”, he stressed that no State is exempt from making every effort to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. While an overwhelming majority of States have provided valuable information on the measures they have taken, or plan to take, to comply with their obligations under the resolution, he emphasized that practical steps at the national level remain critical. Outlining the committee’s support to States in that respect, he said it has also developed regional training courses for National Points of Contact to strengthen cooperation and coordination in implementation of the resolution, most recently for French‑speaking African States and in Europe with support from the Russian Federation.
Kairat Umarov (Kazakhstan), Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL/Da’esh, Al‑Qaida and associated individual groups, undertakings and entities, said the Committee continues to focus on the evolving threat to international peace and security posed by those groups. Despite being militarily defeated in Iraq and Syria in 2017, ISIL/Da’esh has rallied and now controls small pockets of territory in Syria, he said, adding that Al‑Qaida remains resilient in the country. Spotlighting the threat posed there by the Al‑Nusrah Front, he said Al‑Qaida remains prevalent in Yemen, Somalia and parts of West Africa. Also voicing concern about the sustained coalition of terrorist groups in Mali and the Sahel region, he stressed that successfully implementing the Council’s resolutions hinges on the engagement of States and their willingness to provide updated information to the Committee.
Gustavo Meza‑Cuadra Velasquez (Peru), Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter‑terrorism, described the transformation of ISIL/Da’esh and the growing sophistication of terrorist tactics. Concerns over foreign terrorist fighters, for example, have grown to include returning fighters and their families as well as the potential risks posed by the forthcoming release of those convicted of terrorism‑related charges. Noting that the Committee is preparing a meeting to update the 2015 Madrid Guiding Principles on dealing with that issue, he said the Counter‑Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) is also engaging with Member States to assist with implementation of systems for Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Records as well as the use of biometric data to identify terrorists.
As Council members took the floor, the representative of the Netherlands was among those expressing concern about mounting evidence that the global terrorist threat has not, in fact, diminished. That was proven again last week, when Dutch authorities foiled a major terrorist attack planned against a large event in the Netherlands. “This incident underlines that we cannot become self‑complacent,” he stressed, adding: “We cannot let our guard down.” In that regard, he said the success of the three committees and their expert groups depends on Member States, which must take responsibility for implementing the resolutions that underpin their work. Among other things, he also spotlighted the importance of holding terrorists accountable for atrocities, particularly war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Côte d’Ivoire’s delegate, meanwhile, joined other speakers in expressing concern over the grave risk posed by terrorist groups’ possible acquisition of weapons of mass destruction. Welcoming strong cooperation between the three counter‑terrorism committees and their support to Member States, he said West African countries have benefited from regional training sessions aimed at supporting their counter‑terrorism focal points and strengthening their cooperation. Voicing support for efforts to update sanctions lists in line with evolving challenges, he invited CTED to continue to help countries combat incitement and all other actions that lead to violence.
Sweden’s representative, striking a similar tone, declared: “The threat from non‑State actors is real.” The urgency has become even more evident, he said, as the taboo on chemical weapons has been broken repeatedly in recent years. Noting that Sweden, Bolivia and the Expert Group of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) will in late October co‑host an event on emerging technologies — aimed at sharing relevant experiences — he emphasized that counter‑terrorism efforts can never be imposed at the expense of human rights. Indeed, he stressed, the latter form the basis of an open society and help foster resilience against terrorist propaganda.
The delegate of the United Kingdom emphasized that, in the face of evolving terrorist threats, “we must be flexible and adaptable in response”. Expressing support for the establishment of a global standard passenger name record and its responsible use by States to address the challenge posed by returning foreign terrorist fighters, he invited CTED to visit the United Kingdom and encouraged other countries to facilitate similar visits, emphasizing that “we can all learn” more in that area. In addition, he underlined the critical role to be played by the private sector, academic research centres and other non‑governmental groups, recalling that in August a civil society leader briefed the Council on the particular role of women in the threat posed by terrorist groups.
The Russian Federation’s delegate, echoing many similar concerns, nevertheless pushed back against attempts to shift CTED’s attention towards subjects such as the role of women, human rights protection, interaction with civil society and other issues which do not fall directly under its mandate. The CTED’s focus must remain firmly on counter‑terrorism, he stressed, warning against attempts to turn that Committee into a “quasi‑human rights body.” That targeted approach is an attempt to shift concepts and to protect “hand‑picked terrorists” from global focus, he said. Emphasizing that CTED must strictly adhere to its own long‑standing practices, he urged the body to continue to focus on the escalating threat posed by those groups’ further expansion into Afghanistan and Central Asia and called for the rejection of double standards in the implementation of all United Nations counter‑terrorism resolutions.
Also speaking were representatives of the United States, Kuwait, France, Equatorial Guinea, China, Ethiopia and Poland.
The meeting began at 9:30 a.m. and ended at 11:35 a.m.
