During a high-level debate on “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts” held on 19 November at the United Nations in New York, the 15-member Security Council unanimously approved a presidential statement, which calls on Member States to increase cooperation in their efforts to address the perils posed by foreign terrorist fighters around the world.
The Security Council also commended work underway by the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its Executive Directorate (CTED) to identify capacity gaps, and to facilitate technical assistance to strengthen the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005) which supports compliance with 2178 (2014) on foreign terrorist fighters.
Chair of the CTC, H.E. Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaité, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations, in her remarks to the Security Council presented a preliminary analysis of the principal implementation gaps (S/2014/807). Key findings included gaps pertaining to the legal framework, bringing foreign terrorist fighters to justice, law enforcement, border-control provisions, preventing and disrupting terrorist financing, countering violent extremism, as well as rehabilitation and reintegration of foreign terrorist fighters, and States’ obligations under international law.
“The Committee, with the support of CTED, will continue to develop and deepen the analysis of States’ gaps and assistance needs […] and, in doing so, will build on CTED’s unique knowledge base with regard to country-specific, regional and global assessments of States’ implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005). It will also continue to compile good practices and make recommendations to States to strengthen their counter-terrorism programmes and will continue to count upon key partners in those endeavours,” stressed Ambassador Murmokaité.
In his remarks to the Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended the body for its “unity of purpose” in addressing a threat which continues to cause “profound suffering” for the millions living under the control of such groups.
The Security Council last met for a high-level debate on terrorism on 24 September when resolution 2178 (2014) calling on Member States to cooperate in efforts to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters was adopted.