Security Council calls for urgent steps to thwart terrorist menace

Declaring terrorists acts to be one of the most serious threats to international peace and security in the 21st century, the United Nations Security Council today called on all countries to intensify their efforts to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.

The call came in a resolution adopted unanimously during a meeting at the level of foreign ministers, which was convened on the initiative of Ukraine and chaired by Foreign Minister K.D. Knight of Jamaica, the Council’s current president.

In today’s text, the Council called for countries to take “urgent steps” to put into action its resolution 1373 adopted on 28 September, which spelled out wide-ranging strategies to combat international terrorism and which also set up a committee to monitor its implementation. The Council underscored that under resolution 1373, Member States had obligations “to deny financial and all other forms of support and safe haven to terrorists and those supporting terrorism.”

Today’s resolution also welcomed the commitment expressed by States “to fight the scourge of international terrorism,” and called on them to become parties as soon as possible to the relevant international conventions and protocols relating to international terrorism.

In an address before the start of the meeting, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Council that the fight against terrorism must begin with ensuring that the dozen legal instruments on international terrorism adopted under UN auspices were signed, ratified and implemented “without delay.” He also encouraged countries to ensure that resolution 1373 was fully applied.

Recognizing that many countries would need help in implementing all the requirements of resolution 1373, the Council invited States to inform its Counter-Terrorism Committee of the areas in which they needed such support. The Committee was asked to explore ways in which countries could be assisted, and to also look at collaborating with international, regional and sub-regional organizations in providing such help.

The Council also affirmed that a “sustained, comprehensive approach” involving the entire participation and collaboration of all UN Member States was essential to fighting terrorism, stressing that further international efforts to address global issues such as poverty, regional conflicts, sustainable development and environmental protection would contribute to international cooperation and collaboration, and also play a role in the effort against terrorism.