GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE
The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and Associated Individuals and Entities, is also known as the “Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee”.
Background: establishment and mandate
The Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee was established on 15 October 1999 by the Security Council with the adoption of resolution 1267 for the purpose of overseeing the implementation of sanctions measures imposed on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan for its support of Usama bin Laden. The sanctions regime has been modified and strengthened by subsequent resolutions, including resolutions 1333 (2000), 1390 (2002), 1455 (2003), 1526 (2004), 1617 (2005), 1735 (2006) and 1822 (2008) so that the sanctions measures now apply to designated individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden and/or the Taliban wherever located. The Security Council will review the current sanctions measures with the view to their possible further strengthening by 31 December 2009.
The above-mentioned resolutions have all been adopted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter and require all States to: freeze the assets of, prevent the entry into or transit through their territories by, and prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer of arms and military equipment to any individual or entity associated with Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden and/or the Taliban as designated by the Committee. The primary responsibility for the implementation of the sanctions measures rests with Member States and effective implementation is mandatory.
The Committee and its work
The Committee is made up of all 15 members of the Security Council and holds regular meetings in both formal and informal sessions. The current Chairman of the Committee is H.E. Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, the Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations. The two Vice-Chairs for 2009 are Burkina Faso and the Russian Federation. The Committee takes all its decisions by consensus.
In addition to overseeing States' implementation of the sanctions measures, the Committee maintains a list of individuals and entities with respect to Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden, and the Taliban and other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them ("the Consolidated List"). Any State may request the Committee to add names to the Consolidated List. The Committee also considers submissions by States to delete names from the Consolidated List.
Another task of the Committee is to consider submissions from States concerning exemptions to the assets freeze in accordance with resolution 1452 (2002) as amended by resolution 1735 (2006), as well as exemptions from the travel ban pursuant to paragraph 1 (b) of resolution 1822 (2008). When making all such requests, States are requested to submit identifying information and the statement of the case describing the basis of the proposal. The Committee’s Guidelines for the conduct of its work describe the procedures for listing, de-listing and granting humanitarian exemptions.
Finally, the Committee regularly reports about its activities, including through annual reports, and makes recommendations to the Security Council with a view to improving the sanctions regime, including by proposing additional measures.
The UN Secretariat assists the work of the Committee by providing substantive support and secretariat services. It also helps the Committee maintain its website by updating the Consolidated List as soon as changes are approved by the Committee (including additions and deletions). The Secretariat of the Committee can be contacted by email at: SC-1267-Committee@un.org.
The Monitoring Team
The Committee is also supported in its work by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team (the ‘Monitoring Team’), which is composed of independent experts, appointed by the Secretary-General, with expertise in counter-terrorism, financing of terrorism, arms embargoes, travel bans and related legal issues. The Coordinator of the Monitoring Team is Mr. Richard Barrett. The Monitoring Team can be contacted by email at: 1267mt@un.org.
The Monitoring Team assists the Committee in evaluating the implementation of the sanctions regime by Member States, including on the ground, as well as by reporting on developments that have an impact on the effectiveness of the sanctions regime, such as the changing nature of the threat of Al-Qaida and the Taliban.
The Monitoring Team operates under the direction of the Committee but the views and recommendations expressed in its reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the Committee or the United Nations.
The Committee’s work with Member States
By resolutions 1455 (2003) and 1617 (2005) States are called upon to inform the Committee on the actions they have taken to implement the sanctions regime against the individuals and entities placed on the Consolidated List. Reports submitted pursuant to resolution 1455 (2003) are available in the “Member States Reports” section. In addition to gathering information from these reports, the Committee engages in direct dialogue with States through country visits and meetings with their representatives in New York. Member States are encouraged to send representatives to meet with the Committee for more in-depth discussion of relevant issues. Voluntary briefings from interested Member States on their efforts to implement the measures, including particular challenges that hinder full implementation of the measures, are welcomed.
Based on the submitted reports and the direct dialogue with States the Committee has provided the Security Council with analytical assessments on implementation of the sanctions measures, including States’ successes and challenges in implementing them. The latest report was published as document S/2006/1046.
Member States are encouraged to inform the Committee on steps they have taken to implement the sanctions measures and to use the following tools to provide such information;
- ‘Annual Statement of Information on updates to the Consolidated List’ which is intended as an annual reminder to Member States of all changes to the Consolidated List in the preceding year
- ‘Voluntary National Assessment of Implementation Survey’ to assist Member States to provide the Committee with necessary information on their implementation efforts.
The significance of the Consolidated List
As noted, the Committee, under its mandate, has established and maintains a list of names of individuals and entities with respect to Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden, and the Taliban and other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them (“the Consolidated List”). The List currently contains around 500 names and is split into four sections covering (1) individuals and (2) entities associated with the Taliban, and (3) individuals and (4) entities associated with Al-Qaida. The names of individuals and entities that have been removed from the Consolidated List can be found in the “De-listing” section. The Consolidated List serves as the foundation for the implementation and enforcement of sanctions against Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden, the Taliban and their associates. The Committee is continuously seeking to improve the information on the Consolidated List to ensure that the sanctions measures can be implemented effectively.
Strengthening the sanctions measures in response to the changing nature of the threat posed by Al-Qaida and the Taliban
The Security Council strengthened the sanctions regime with resolution 1822 (2008), adopted on 30 June 2008, which renewed the mandate of the Monitoring Team. The resolution reaffirmed the acts and activities that indicate that an individual or entity is associated with Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden or the Taliban, and thus is eligible for designation on the Consolidated List and subject to the three sanctions measures. The resolution specifically states that such acts or activities include:
- participation in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts or
- activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of;
- supplying, selling, or transferring arms and related materiel to;
- recruiting for; or
- otherwise supporting acts or activities of;
Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden or the Taliban, or any cell, affiliate, splinter group or derivative thereof.
Resolutions 1617 (2005), 1735 (2006) and 1822 (2008) reflect the efforts of the Security Council to adapt the sanctions regime to the changing nature of the threat posed by an evolving Al-Qaida and the Taliban.
The Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee and the UN’s work against terrorism
The Committee is one of three counter-terrorism bodies established by the Security Council. The Council has been dealing with terrorism issues since the early 1990s, but following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, the Security Council, by resolution 1373 (2001), established the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) which is also made up of all Council members. By the same resolution the Security Council requires States to take a number of measures to prevent terrorist activities and to criminalize various forms of terrorist actions. The CTC facilitates the provision of assistance to States to build capacity to counter terrorism on a national, regional and global level. Its work is assisted by a Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) established by the Security Council in 2004. More information about this Committee is available on its website: http://www.un.org/sc/ctc/.
In 2004 the Security Council, through resolution 1540, established the 1540 Committee, again made up of all Council members, with the task to monitor Member States’ compliance under the resolution, which aims to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-state actors, including terrorist groups. More information about this Committee is available on its website: http://www.un.org/sc/1540/.
The three Committees and their expert groups coordinate their work and cooperate closely on common issues such as their travel programmes and other means of gathering information. They also share information on the assistance needs of Member States. The Committees’ Chairmen brief the Security Council on the activities of the Committees in joint meetings, when possible. The distinct but complementary roles of the three Committees are described in a comparative table issued jointly and posted on their respective websites.
* *** *