On 12-13 November 2018, the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) participated in a seminar titled “Preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons: Examining options to operationalize United Nations Security Council resolution 2370.”
The importance of preventing terrorists’ access to weapons has repeatedly been stressed by the Security Council. However, the Council’s unanimous adoption of resolution 2370 in 2017 marked the first time the Council focused explicitly on this issue. Resolution 2370 (2017) calls on all States to eliminate the supply of weapons—including small arms, military equipment, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their components, as well as improvised explosive device (IED) components—to those involved in terrorist acts.
“Due to the complexity of this issue, many Member States struggle to implement effective ways to prevent the illicit trade of weapons, including through online and Dark Web platforms. Therefore, we must all work together to promote cooperation among all stakeholders in identifying the gaps in Member States’ capacities and find ways to address them, said Andrei Kovalenko, Head of the Information and Administration Office of CTED, in his opening remarks at the seminar.
Participants in the two-day gathering exchanged views on the threats and risks relevant to resolution 2370 (2017), and identified building blocks for future work in this area. The seminar examined stakeholder contributions and efforts from the fields of counter-terrorism and arms control, including in the areas of regulatory frameworks, illicit production, procurement networks, supply-chain management, data collection and analysis, information exchange, enforcement, and awareness-raising. Overall, experts identified challenges and opportunities within and beyond existing frameworks, and considered ways forward in supporting the implementation of this resolution.
The seminar was organized by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in cooperation with the Governments of Australia, Egypt and Germany, CTED, the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).