On 4 February 2026, the Security Council held a briefing on the “Twenty-second report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat (S/2026/57)." Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), briefed the Council together with Acting Under-Secretary-General Alexandre Zouev of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).
The Secretary-General’s report underscores that the threat posed by Da’esh has intensified over the reporting period. The group has demonstrated resilience in several regions, adapting to counter-terrorism pressure and exploiting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual assets, and unmanned aircraft systems, to expand its reach. Africa remains significantly affected, with alarming territorial expansion in the Sahel and West Africa deepening regional instability. In the Middle East, Da’esh continues to exploit instability in Iraq and Syria, while ISIL-Khorasan maintains a serious threat in Afghanistan.
ASG Gherman reflected on the increased security threat posed by Da’esh and the destructive consequences of attacks perpetrated and inspired by Da’esh globally – “from the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq to the Sahel, Lake Chad basin, East Africa and Australia, the impacts have been devastating”, she said. Reflecting on the assessment work conducted by CTED on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, she highlighted CTED’s visits to Member States to assess and monitor implementation gaps and to facilitate tailored technical assistance.
Acting Under-Secretary-General Alexandre Zouev discussed the resilience of Da’esh in the face of counter-terrorism pressure by recruiting foreign terrorist fighters and enhancing their use of new technologies. USG Zouev urged Member States to adopt responsible approaches to new technologies in compliance with international law.
In response to the briefings, Council members reiterated their commitment to enhancing global efforts to counter the threat. They emphasized the importance of disrupting terrorist financial networks, enhancing border security, and implementing human rights-compliant counter-terrorism strategies. Following these interventions, the European Union Special Envoy for Counter-Terrorism and Head of the Counter-Terrorism Division at the European External Action Service also stressed the importance of a comprehensive, rights-based approach to counter-terrorism as well as multilateral cooperation beyond the UN – notably with the Global Counter Terrorism Forum and the Global Coalition to Defeat Da’esh. The Special Envoy expressed concern about the situation in Northeast Syria, in particular regarding the camps and underlined the responsibility of the Syrian Transitional Authorities.
The remarks of the Assistant Secretary-General are available here.
You can watch the meeting here.