On 12 January 2021, the Security Council held a ministerial-level meeting to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Council resolution 1373 (2001), which established the Counter-Terrorism Committee in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 against the United States. The meeting included briefings by Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and Assistant-Secretary General Michèle Coninsx, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). Dr. Fatima Akalu, Executive Director of the NEEM Foundation, also briefed the Council from the perspective of civil society. The discussions focused on trends, challenges, lessons learned, and good practices identified in the context of two decades of global counter-terrorism efforts. The Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2021/1), which reaffirmed existing commitments and called for continued coordination between Member States:
“The Security Council encourages Member States to continue cooperating with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and CTED and underscores that neutral, expert assessment of the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) and other relevant resolutions is the core function of CTED and that the analysis and recommendations from these assessments are an invaluable aid to Member States in identifying and addressing gaps in implementation and capacity.”
Assistant Secretary-General Coninsx stressed that the international community had made significant progress in its efforts to counter and prevent terrorism, despite having faced many complex challenges, and underlined the need to ensure a comprehensive, coordinated “One-UN” approach to assist States to develop and implement effective counter-terrorism measures while also addressing conditions conducive to terrorism and violent extremism.
Under-Secretary-General Voronkov called for a renewed commitment to looking beyond terrorism as a tactic and addressing the underlying conditions and drivers that enabled it to operate and spread, and also stressed the need to engage with youth, civil society, the private sector, and the scientific community in the fight against terrorism to effectively address the social and technological realities of the 21st century.
Dr. Akalu noted the need for Member States and civil society to come together in the spirit of cooperation within the framework of the shared global effort to combat terrorism.
CTED will continue to assist the Security Council and the Committee in its efforts to fulfil the mandates set forth in the relevant Council resolutions and to work closely with States in their implementation efforts, including by promoting the sharing of best practices and lessons learned over the 20 years since the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001).
The Committee will also hold a special meeting in September 2021 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the resolution’s adoption.