UN counter-terrorism experts head to Tanzania in ongoing bid to fight scourge

Nearly a dozen experts, led by the main United Nations counter-terrorism body, are headed to Tanzania for a weeklong visit to continue the Security Council's practical, technical assistance work to strengthen the ability of countries to fight terrorism.

The Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Javier Rupérez, is leading the 11-member team, which will be in the country from 13 to 17 February.

Experts from Interpol, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Maritime Organization, the African Union and the European Commission are participating in the visit, which mirrors similar missions undertaken previously.

But the Tanzania trip marks the first time that the delegation will also include an expert from the Security Council Committee on Al-Qaida and the Taliban, known as the 1267 Committee, as part of an effort by the Council's subsidiary bodies to work in closer harmony.

The purpose of country visits is to precisely assess, on location and in practice, how Member States implement the obligations of the landmark Security Council measure, resolution 1373, which was adopted in 2001 in the wake of the terror attacks against the United States. The expert teams also evaluate the nature and level of assistance that a particular country may need in order to fulfil those obligations.

Resolution 1373, which also established the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) to monitor compliance with its provisions, calls on countries to implement a number of measures to enhance their ability to counter terrorist activities nationally, regionally and globally.

The CTED began on-site meetings with States last year with its first country visit to Morocco in mid-March, followed by trips to Kenya, Albania, Thailand and Algeria.