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

Counter-Terrorism Committee conducts follow-up visit to Senegal

BMUSONI — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 09:18:00 +0000

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From 27 to 29 March 2017, the Counter-Terrorism Committee – represented by its Executive Directorate (CTED) – conducted a follow-up visit to Senegal. The aim of the official visit was threefold: To (1) monitor the implementation by Senegal of recommendations made following the Committee’s 2009 visit; (2) monitor the implementation by Senegal of relevant requirements of Security Council resolutions 1624 (20015), 2178 (2014), and 2322 (2016); and (3) identify new technical assistance needs and areas in which Senegal might benefit from technical assistance to meet its obligations pursuant to the resolutions mentioned above, as well as good practices that might be shared with other Member States.

Led by Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of CTED, Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, the delegation was composed of experts from CTED, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the 51�Թ� Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC/TPB). A representative of the 51�Թ� Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) also joined the visit.

During the visit, the Executive Director met with the Secretary-General of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Safety, le Délegué général aux renseignements, the Attorney General, the President of the Supreme Court, the Counter-terrorism judicial unit . The delegation also visited the Port and the Airport of Dakar, as well as a border post, “Diama,” on the border with Mauritania. Members of the delegation further engaged with the 51�Թ� Resident Coordinator, the UN Country Team, and donors.

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Paris Prosecutor François Molins and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz brief the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee

BMUSONI — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:13:00 +0000

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On 17 November 2016, Paris Prosecutor François Molins of France and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz of the United States briefed the 51�Թ� Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee.

Since terrorism is a global threat to peace and security requiring a global response, Messieurs Molins and Swartz underscored the importance of international cooperation in mutual legal assistance matters. Both speakers provided concrete examples of good practices in this area, such as information sharing as foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) cross national borders, law enforcement and prosecutorial liaisons at embassies, and more formally through mutual legal assistance treaties. Coordination with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was recommended by both speakers. Mr. Emmanuel Roux, Special Representative of INTERPOL to the 51�Թ� and present at the briefing, called on Member States to utilize the INTERPOL FTF database as it already exists, allowing Member States to gain time in the search for information about foreign terrorist fighters.

In addition, Messieurs Molins and Swartz spoke about challenges both France and the U.S. face in countering terrorism, including the collection of electronic evidence in terrorism cases. Both speakers called for more public-private cooperation, since Internet providers are important partners in addressing this challenge.

Delegates mentioned the upcoming Counter-Terrorism Committee special meeting on 1 December on “Preventing the exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) for terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” whose participants will include, inter alia, representatives from the private sector, faith-based leaders, and international and regional organizations.

Delegates also underscored the importance of the various 51�Թ� conventions and resolutions that provide a framework for international judicial cooperation. Mr. Molins and Mr. Swartz noted the important role the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) plays in convening regional workshops, and called on Member States to continue their cooperation in countering the global threat of terrorism.

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Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate continues its support in countering cross-border movement of terrorists

BMUSONI — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:21:00 +0000

Countering Cross-Border Movement of Terrorists, an International Meeting on Counter-Terrorism (IMCT), was held in Bali, Indonesia, on 10 August 2016. Weixiong Chen, Deputy Director of the 51�Թ� Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), participated in the Ministerial-level meeting. The meeting was attended by numerous high-level representatives of 20 Member States from around the world, including those most affected by foreign terrorist fighters. The Secretary-Generals of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also attended.

CTED’s Deputy Executive Director Chen delivered a statement on behalf of the Secretary-General of the 51�Թ�, a message which underscored the emerging terrorist threat:

“The cross-border movement of terrorists has become more acute, especially when coupled with more sophisticated financing and the use of social media and other modern means of communication for recruitment and for the incitement, planning and commission of terrorist acts.”

The UN Secretary-General’s statement further encouraged Member States to adopt national and regional plans of action to combat and prevent terrorism and violent extremism, and to implement the 51�Թ� Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in a balanced and comprehensive manner.

Representatives of Member States present at the meeting described their national efforts to counter terrorism, and their challenges related to stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. Participating Member States included Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, the United States of America, and Viet Nam.

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ASEAN police in high-level observation visit to the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center

BMUSONI — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 21:29:00 +0000

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Participants in the visit to SELEC

Many terrorist groups are active in South-East Asia. Some aim to establish an Islamic “caliphate” encompassing the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Southern Philippines. The region also faces a new and growing threat posed by returnees from conflict zones in Iraq and Syria. International cooperation in investigating terrorism cases therefore continues to be crucial.

On 7-8 October 2015, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) brought representatives of the police forces from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC) in Bucharest. The aim was for participants to learn about operational practices in the investigation of transnational crime, as well as administrative arrangements in running a regional organization. The Secretariat of ASEANAPOL, the platform for all ASEAN Police Forces, also participated in the visit.

ASEAN has concluded the 2007 Convention on Counter-Terrorism and the 2004 Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (MLA), both of which have been ratified by all ASEAN Member States. However, in the absence of formal regional mechanisms for judicial and law enforcement collaboration, cooperation takes place on a largely ad hoc basis.

To help remedy this, CTED’s South-East Asia initiative brings together participants from the Council of Europe, EUROJUST, Europol, INTERPOL, and SELEC. The October 2015 visit to SELEC followed two regional workshops on international joint investigations for ASEAN members, held in Malaysia in 2012 and 2013.

Visit participants agreed that the SELEC model might offer a good model for cooperation among States of South-East Asia and that ASEANAPOL could play a more active and prominent role in coordinating the investigation of transnational crimes, including terrorism, in the region.

As a follow-up, the ASEANAPOL Secretariat has invited CTED to attend the November 2015 meeting of ASEAN contact persons.

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