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Security Council extends UN counter-terrorism body for another four years

Wide view of the Security Council.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine (file photo)
Wide view of the Security Council.

Security Council extends UN counter-terrorism body for another four years

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) – an expert body that functions as a United Nations special political mission – for another four years.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council decided that CTED – which provides advice to the Counter-Terrorism Committee assisting States to prevent terrorist acts both within their borders and across regions – will carry out its work until 31 December 2017.

The Council established the Committee in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States by resolution 1373, which obliges all States to criminalize assistance for terrorist activities, deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists, and to share information about groups planning terrorist attacks.

CTED, which carries out the policy decisions of the Committee, conducts expert assessments of each Member State and facilitates counter-terrorism technical assistance to countries.

The Council underscored “the essential role of CTED within the United Nations” to assess issues and trends relating to the implementation of resolutions 1373 as well as 1624. Adopted in 2005, resolution 1624 builds on 1373 and calls on States to prevent and prohibit incitement to commit terrorist acts, strengthen international cooperation and border control, and enhance dialogue and understanding among civilizations.

The Council also directed CTED to identify emerging issues, trends and developments related to the two resolutions, while taking into account the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and to advise the Committee on practical ways for Member States to implement them.

The Strategy, adopted by the General Assembly in September 2006, is based on four pillars: tackling the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism; preventing and combating terrorism; building States’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the role of the UN system in that regard; and ensuring respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism.