Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - Border security and arms trafficking

CTED leads 51�Թ� Countering Terrorist Travel Programme National Consultation Mission to Pakistan

BMUSONI — Tue, 09 May 2023 21:09:00 +0000

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The CTED delegation during the API/PNR consultation in Islamabad, Pakistan in March 2023.

From 20 – 21 March 2023, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) led the advance passenger information (API)/passenger name record (PNR) national consultation in Islamabad, Pakistan under the Countering Terrorist Travel Programme. The purpose of the national consultation was to establish a comprehensive understanding of Pakistan’s existing level of API and PNR implementation in terms of legal, operational and technical capacities, as well as of its national counter-terrorism structure and priorities, and to identify specific areas for capacity-building support and technical assistance.

The findings from the consultation will be used to develop a national API/PNR implementation road map for the Government of Pakistan. The road map will be a single document that identifies and analyses the gaps between Pakistan’s current capacity to implement an API and PNR system and implementation of a system that is fully compliant with the requirements and objectives of Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017), 2482 (2019) and other international standards and obligations. It will provide recommendations on how to bridge these gaps and identify technical assistance for doing so.

The national API/PNR implementation road map will be drafted by the programme partners based on the findings of the consultation and will be presented to the Government of Pakistan. Following Pakistan’s acceptance of the road map, the 51�Թ� Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) will coordinate the implementation of technical assistance with the Countering Terrorist Travel Programme. CTED will not be involved in the delivery of the technical assistance. However, CTED will continue to monitor the progress of the implementation by Pakistan of its international obligations, including human rights, API and PNR.

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CTED speaks at ID@Borders and Future of Travel Conference 2023

AKHVEDELID — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 05:36:00 +0000

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Jean-Philippe Morange, Senior Legal Officer at CTED, presents at the ID@Borders and Future of Travel Conference 2023 in Brussels, Belgium.

From 20-21 April 2023, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) attended the ID@Borders and Future of Travel Conference 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. CTED participated as a speaker in two sessions addressing the importance of safeguarding biometrics and predicting the future of biometrics. During these discussions, CTED shared good practices in biometrics use in counter-terrorism, providing updates on current status and challenges regarding the responsible use and sharing of biometrics. CTED also took the opportunity to raise awareness of the related requirements of Security Council resolution 2396 (2017), as well as the guidance on the responsible use and sharing of biometrics contained in the Madrid Guiding Principles (S/2015/939) and The Addendum to the guiding principles on foreign terrorist fighters (2018) (S/2018/1177). Participation in the event also enabled CTED to further strengthen its engagement with the Biometrics Institute and participating Member States, international organizations, academia and private sector actors, as well as to learn about recent technological and other trends and developments in the use of biometrics.

During the discussions, CTED also recalled its partnership with the Biometrics Institute and the 51�Թ� Office of Counter-Terrorism in the promotion of the second phase of the joint project being implemented by the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement relating to Counter-Terrorism, which includes the organization of targeted expert regional workshops that use The UN Compendium of Recommended Practices for the Responsible Use and Sharing of Biometrics in Counter-Terrorism as a tool to raise States’ awareness of the need to ensure the responsible and proper use of biometrics in accordance with resolution 2396 (2017).

CTED stressed that the field of biometrics continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and Member States continue to explore new ways to develop their biometric capabilities – and this trend has only accelerated during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. CTED recognized that biometric identification is an effective and powerful tool to identify terrorists and criminals, disrupt their travel, and authenticate and verify identities, as well as a forensic tool.

CTED recalled that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to counter terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law. Respect for human rights and the rule of law must be the bedrock of the global fight against terrorism, and this principle must be reflected in practice, procedure, and institutional culture.

CTED also emphasized that use of such state-of-the-art biometric technology should be based on a clear legal framework that stipulates the purpose and scope of such use and that States should consider at an early stage how legislation will meet the challenges stemming from the further development of biometric technologies with full respect for human rights and taking into account gender and age sensitivities. It is highly recommended that authorities assess the new technologies’ potential implications on individuals and their rights and, based on that knowledge, advocate for, and support, policy development aimed at risk mitigation. Some critical components in implementing biometric capabilities are to exercise a whole-of society approach, partnerships and dialogue between public authorities and the biometrics industry, including with all other relevant stakeholders. CTED also highlighted the need to work in a more comprehensive manner on the biometrics phenomena globally, its application in concert with new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.

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CTED, UNCCT, and UNIDIR organize regional workshop for the Caribbean on the Technical Guidelines for Member States to facilitate the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2370 (2017) on preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons

BMUSONI — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 19:32:00 +0000

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Following two previous regional workshops, which were held in Europe (in April 2022) and the Sahel/Maghreb (in February 2023), the regional workshop for the Caribbean on the Technical Guidelines for Member States to facilitate the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2370 (2017) and the relevant international standards and good practices on preventing terrorist from acquiring weapons held virtually from 7 – 9 March 2023, is the last in a series of events organized by CTED, UNCCT, and UNIDIR to promote the Technical Guidelines for Member States to Facilitate the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 2370 (2017) and the Related International Standards and Good Practices on Preventing Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons, to discuss the development of practices to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons, and identify opportunities for strengthening relevant measures at the national and regional levels. The workshop also aimed to provide a foundation for further amending, revising, and updating the Technical Guidelines, which is intended as a living, working reference document.

On 18 March 2022, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the 51�Թ� Counter-Terrorism Centre of the 51�Թ� Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT/UNCCT), and the 51�Թ� Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) launched the Technical Guidelines, which had been developed within the framework of a project of the 51�Թ� Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement relating to Counter-Terrorism.

During the virtual regional workshop, CTED presented the international framework for the effective implementation of resolution 2370 (2017) and other Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism, emphasizing that, in building upon Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), resolution 2370 (2017) established a comprehensive set of provisions and approaches for eliminating the supply of weapons – including small arms and light weapons (SALW), unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their components, and improvised explosive device (IED) components – and strengthened CTED’s mandate to address this issue through its assessments of, and dialogue with, Member States. Moreover, the 2018 Addendum to the guiding principles on stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters (S/2018/1177) included a guiding principle on preventing and combating the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons.

The Technical Guidelines focus on measures for preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons, with a specific focus on SALW, IEDS, and UAS, highlighting the existing instruments and protocols aimed at preventing the supply of, and access to, weapons and at preventing terrorists from acquiring SALW, UAS and their components, and IED components.

The acquisition of weapons is central to the very modus operandi of terrorism. It is critical to strengthen the international community’s capacity to prevent and combat this threat. The increasing diversion of SALW to terrorists and the increasing use of IEDs and UAS by terrorist are particularly concerning trends and require greater attention in the collective fight against terrorism.

In order to address this issue in a comprehensive manner, CTED continues to facilitate the implementation of resolution 2370 (2017) by outlining concrete measures to be taken by Member States. The Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement Relating to Counter-Terrorism, chaired by CTED, developed the Technical Guidelines for that purpose and will organize further activities under this joint project in order to facilitate implementation of this resolution and related international standards.

CTED, together with its project partners, will also continue to identify good practices in this area through its dialogue with Member States. In the context of the joint project, the Caribbean workshop is the final regional workshop to be held. The next joint project for East Africa region will be launch in mid-2023.

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CTED, UNOCT/UNCCT, & UNIDIR organize joint workshop for Europe on Technical Guidelines to Facilitate the Implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017)

AKHVEDELID — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 14:53:00 +0000

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BRUSSELS– From 27-29 April 2022, the 51�Թ� Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the 51�Թ� Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the 51�Թ� Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and the 51�Թ� Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) jointly organized a workshop for Europe to promote the Technical guidelines to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017).

In line with the resolution, the technical guidelines look at measures for preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons with a specific focus on small arms and light weapons, improvised explosive devices and unmanned aircraft systems. The technical guidelines, which launched in New York in March, are a product of the 51�Թ� Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement relating to Counter-Terrorism and were developed under the leadership of CTED, UNIDIR and UNCCT, with the generous funding of Germany and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“This comprehensive set of technical guidelines, used as a tool and reference document during this workshop, is a truly unique product… Their development is an excellent example of the “One-UN” approach, which benefitted from the specialized expertise of all relevant member entities of the Global Compact,” stated Jean-Phillippe Morange, a Senior Legal Officer of CTED.

The workshop convened representatives of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom and experts from the European Commission of the European Union, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization, the 51�Թ� Mine Action Service, the 51�Թ� Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organization.

The workshop was the first one in a series of regional events to discuss the maturity of practices in preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons and identify areas for improvement of measures at national and regional levels. The workshop also aimed at providing a foundation for further modifications, revisions and updates of the technical guidelines – a living, working reference document. UNCCT and its partners are planning to conduct the same kind of workshops in the Maghreb/Sahel and Caribbean regions in 2022.

Background
The acquisition of weapons by terrorists is a threat central to the very modus operandi of terrorism. It is of critical importance to the international community’s response to prevent and combat this threat. The increasing diversion of small arms and light weapons to terrorists, the increasing use of improvised explosive devices, and the emerging issue of the use of unmanned aircraft systems by terrorists, are particularly concerning trends and developments – both old and new – that merit greater attention in the collective fight against terrorism.

To tackle this issue in a comprehensive manner, the 51�Թ� Security Council adopted resolution 2370 (2017) outlining concrete measures to be undertaken by Member States. In order to facilitate the implementation of this resolution, as well as other related international standards, the 51�Թ� Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement relating to Counter-Terrorism has developed technical guidelines.

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CTED, UNCCT, UNOCT, & UNIDIR launch Technical Guidelines to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017) and related international standards and good practices on preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons

AKHVEDELID — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 14:04:00 +0000

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On 18 March 2022, the 51�Թ� Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), 51�Թ� Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the 51�Թ� Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the 51�Թ� Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) launched the “Technical guidelines to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017) and related international standards and good practices on preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons” The technical guidelines have been developed under a joint project implemented by CTED, working on behalf of the 51�Թ� Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement (BMLE WG) relating to Counter-Terrorism, funded by UNCCT and co-implemented by UNCCT and UNIDIR.

With the adoption by the Security Council of its resolution 2370 (2017), the Council reaffirmed its previous decision in resolution 1373 (2001) that all States should refrain from providing any form of support to those involved in terrorist acts, including by eliminating the supply of weapons – including small arms and light weapons, military equipment, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their components, and improvised explosive device (IED) components – to those involved in terrorist acts. The Security Council urged Member States to act cooperatively to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons and called upon them to become party to related international and regional instruments. Resolution 2370 is the first Security Council resolution specifically dedicated to preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons.

The technical guidelines have been developed as part of a broader project that seeks to facilitate and support the implementation of resolution 2370 (2017), relevant subsequent resolutions, good practices, and international standards. The technical guidelines aim at contributing to the enhancement of Member States’ legislative, strategic, and operational capacities to prevent, detect and counter the acquisition, illicit trafficking and use of different weapons, systems, and components.

These technical guidelines are non-binding and should be considered living working reference document. They are also expected to form a basis for dialogue at different levels, including among regional and national stakeholders in their efforts to assess, develop, review, and refine regional and national measures to prevent terrorist acquisition of weapons. Following roll-out, application and use, the document will be subject to modifications, revisions, and updates, based on feedback received from States and the technical communities of practice.

All enquiries and feedback concerning the Technical Guidelines can be addressed to Ms. Anne-Maria Seesmaa/CTED seesmaa@un.org, Mr. Aldan Serikbay/UNCCT aldan.serikbay@un.org and Mr. Hardy Giezendanner/UNIDIR giezendanner@un.org.

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Launch Event: “Technical guidelines to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017) and related international standards and good practices on preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons”

BMUSONI — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 09:00:00 +0000

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Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) requires States to refrain from providing any form of support to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists. Security Council resolution 2370 (2017) and relevant subsequent Council resolutions call on all States to eliminate the supply of weapons including small arms and light weapons (SALW), unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their components and improvised device (IED) components, to those involved in terrorist acts. Security Council resolution 2370 (2017) is the first Council resolution specifically dedicated to preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons.

The objective of the virtual launch event is to introduce the non-binding technical guidelines as a practical tool to facilitate implementation of Council resolution 2370 (2017), thereby contributing to the enhancement of States’ national legislative, strategic and operational capacities to prevent, detect and counter the illicit trafficking and acquisition of weapons, systems and components and the associated activities of terrorist and organized crime groups. The objective of the virtual launch event is also to raise awareness and knowledge of the different ways and means through which terrorist groups and those who commit acts of terrorism acquire different types of weapons and to promote collective action for the implementation of resolution 2370 (2017), relevant subsequent resolutions, good practices and different measures to prevent the acquisition of different types of weapons by terrorist groups.

The guidelines will be considered a working reference document and tool to facilitate further dialogue and consultations among stakeholders, including Member States and other relevant stakeholders, at various levels.

The virtual launch event will consist of an opening session, to be followed by an expert session featuring short presentations by experts addressing the problem and a session presenting the project and introducing the technical guidelines. CTED will act as the moderator.

The launch event will be held via the Microsoft Teams virtual platform on Friday, 18 March 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., EST. The meeting will be conducted in English.

#NoWeapons4Terrorists

The concept note for the virtual launch event is available here.

The agenda for the virtual launch event is available here.

You can register here.

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Counter-Terrorism Committee adopts updated Global Surveys of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and other relevant resolutions and Security Council resolution 1624 (2005), respectively, by Member States

AKHVEDELID — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:06:00 +0000

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On 2 November 2021, the Counter-Terrorism Committee adopted the updated edition of its Global survey of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and other relevant resolutions by Member States, which is based on the assessment of States’ counter-terrorism efforts by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). Since 2005, CTED has visited 117 Member States and completed a total of 181 comprehensive, focused, regional and follow-up visits.

Regarded as the most comprehensive analytical documents on counter-terrorism in the UN system, the Committee’s Global implementation surveys (GIS) consider where progress has been made and where gaps remain and identify where the international community might most usefully focus its efforts. The surveys also contain global assessments of Member States’ efforts across all major thematic areas addressed by the relevant resolutions. They are updated every few years.

The nature of the global terrorist threat has continued to evolve since the publication of the previous edition of the survey, in 2016, compelling Member States to adapt their policies and approaches to address new challenges and existing gaps in their counter-terrorism measures. Those challenges include the evolution of the foreign terrorist fighter (FTF) threat; the rising threat of terrorism in conflict areas; the emergence of new terrorist methodologies; the growing threat of terrorist attacks on the basis of xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance, along with the growing emergence of some transnational linkages between such terrorist groups and, most recently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 1373 GIS is a global analysis of the implementation of counter-terrorism measures by all Member States, examined on a regional basis using consistent criteria as an analytical tool. This edition introduces for the first time selected regional spotlights on issues in particular regions that deserve special attention based on a risk-based approach to analysis and the findings of CTED’s recent assessment visits. At the conclusion of each regional subsection, the survey provides a summary of some of the priority recommendations that the Committee has made to Member States since the previous survey to strengthen their implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). CTED hopes that these recommendations will also be useful for other international organizations and bilateral donors working in the field of counter-terrorism.

The Committee also adopted the updated edition of its Global survey of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1624 (2005) by Member States. The 1624 GIS was prepared by CTED pursuant to the request of the Security Council, contained in its resolution 2395 (2017), that CTED update the previous survey (S/2016/50), issued in January 2016. It contains a detailed regional overview of the steps taken by States to implement Security Council resolutions aimed at countering incitement to commit terrorist acts, violent extremism, and terrorist narratives, focusing primarily on the implementation of resolution 1624 (2005), which calls on all States to prohibit by law incitement to commit a terrorist act or acts. According to CTED’s analysis, as of 1 March 2021, 112 States had expressly criminalized incitement to commit a terrorist act or acts in their national legislation (compared with a figure of “at least 76 States”, as of 1 November 2015).

The survey notes that two other Security Council resolutions are directly relevant to the implementation of resolution 1624 (2005). Council resolution 2178 (2014), on the threat to international peace and security posed by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), contains a provision encouraging States to engage relevant local communities and non-governmental actors in developing strategies “to counter the violent extremist narrative that can incite terrorist acts”. It proposes that this can be achieved by addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism, which can be conducive to terrorism, including by “empowering youth, families, women, religious, cultural and education leaders, and all other concerned groups of civil society”. This approach has come to be known as countering violent extremism (CVE).

The survey also takes into account Security Council resolution 2354 (2017), on the threat to international peace and security posed by terrorist narratives spread by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh; Al-Qaida; and other terrorist groups. That resolution encourages States to develop programmes to counter terrorist narratives, stressing that States have the primary responsibility in countering terrorist acts and violent extremism conducive to terrorism and noting that counter-narrative efforts “can benefit through engagement with a wide range of actors, including youth, families, women, religious, cultural, and education leaders, and other concerned groups of civil society”.

An overview of the two surveys is available here.

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