Security Council extends counter-terrorism offices mandate until end of 2010

The Security Council today unanimously voted to extend the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), which is tasked with monitoring the efforts of countries to combat the global scourge of terrorism, until the end of 2010.

Established as a special political mission in 2004, the CTED assists the Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee in monitoring the implementation of resolution 1373, which was adopted in the wake of the September 2001 attacks on the United States and calls on countries to adopt a number of measures to enhance their ability to counter terrorist activities nationally, regionally and globally.

In the resolution passed today, the Council reaffirmed that “terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” and emphasized the “central role” that the UN plays in the fight against the global scourge.

CTED Executive Director Mike Smith told the Council in an open meeting yesterday that considerable progress has been made worldwide in the fight against terrorism, including the endorsement of important treaties and the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies.

Although resolution 1373 is as relevant today as it was when it was adopted nearly seven years ago, “most countries in the world have now criminalized terrorism,” he said, noting that since the adoption of the landmark resolution, there have been hundreds of new ratifications of the key counter-terrorism pacts.