Counter-Terrorism Committee holds virtual open briefing on “The threat of terrorism in Latin America and the Caribbean”

“Since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), the States of Latin America and the Caribbean have made considerable progress in strengthening their criminal-justice and operational capacities to detect, disrupt and prosecute terrorist networks,” said Assistant Secretary-General Michèle Coninsx, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), during the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s open briefing “The threat of terrorism in Latin America and the Caribbean,” held on 14 December 2020.

Over two-thirds of the region’s States have recently adopted counter-terrorism legislation in compliance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and the 19 international counter-terrorism instruments. Additionally, all Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are compliant with advance passenger information requirements, said ASG Coninsx. However, the terrorism landscape has changed significantly since the adoption of resolution 1373.

During the first session of the virtual open briefing, speakers provided an overview of the current threat landscape and responses. Callixtus Joseph of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) said the terrorist threat in the CARICOM region consists of returning and relocating foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), violent extremist groups and terrorist propaganda online, cyber terrorism, trafficking of illegal firearms, and countering the financing of terrorism. “By the beginning of 2018, more than 200 FTFs from the CARICOM region had travelled to the conflict zones of Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic,” said His Excellency, Ambassador Tarek Ladeb, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). Those individuals continue to pose a threat, thus reinforcing the need for effective prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration measures, said Mr. Ladeb.

H.E. Mr. Néstor Popolizio Bardeles, Permanent Representative of Peru to the United Nations said border security and cyberspace are particularly a challenge. Therefore, the region is intensifying efforts in prevention, information and communication technologies, and the linkages between terrorism and organized crime, said Mr. Bardeles. Security Council resolutions 2195 (2014) and 2482 (2019) urge Member States to address the nexus between terrorism and transnational organized crime.

CTED recommended that Member States introduce measures to address gaps in their counter-terrorism efforts, including implementing comprehensive counter-terrorism strategies, strengthening asset freezing legislation, enhancing access to counter-terrorism databases, and conducting vulnerability risk assessments of soft targets.

The second session of the open briefing focused on progress and recommendations. David Alamos of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the UNODC program on money laundering is one of the most significant requests that they are receiving from the region. In countries such as Argentina & Colombia, UNODC is implementing a financial disruption initiative.

Jonathan Brewer of the Group of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) said in 2019, of the 59 events the Committee was involved in globally, 17 of those took place in Latin America & the Caribbean.

The pandemic may also exacerbate inequalities, thereby undermining resilience against terrorist recruitment. Alison August Treppel of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism of the Organization of American States (OAS/CICTE) said the region has low capacity to counter violent extremism. Therefore, increased coordination, cooperation, and information-sharing is key. In 2021, CTED and OAS will launch a platform that responds to these needs.

The concept note of the virtual open briefing is available here.

The agenda of the virtual open briefing is available here.

The webcast of the proceedings is available here.

Remarks and presentations shared by the participants:

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