Statement [Made on Behalf of the Security Council, at the 7690th Meeting, 11 May 2016, in Connection with the Council's Consideration of the Item Entitled "Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts"]

S/PRST/2016/6No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Presidential Statement of the Security Council, under agenda item 10Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, published in 2016.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 topics

Counter-Terrorism Foreign Terrorist Fighters Guidelines International Security

What does this mandate say?

14 paragraphs

At the 7690th meeting of the Security Council, held on 11 May 2016, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council reaffirms its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

“The Security Council further reaffirms that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whosoever committed.

“The Security Council reaffirms its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States in accordance with the United Nations Charter.

“The Security Council emphasizes that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality or civilization, and in this regard stresses the importance of promoting tolerance and inter religious dialogue.

“The Security Council stresses that terrorism can only be defeated by a sustained and comprehensive approach involving the active participation and collaboration of all States, international and regional organizations and civil society as appropriate, to impede, impair, isolate and incapacitate the terrorist threat, consistent with the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

“The Security Council reaffirms that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to counter terrorism comply with the Charter of the United Nations and all other obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law.

“The Security Council reiterates the obligation of Member States to refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in or associated with terrorist acts, including by suppressing recruitment of members of terrorist groups, consistent with international law, and eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists.

“The Security Council underlines the importance of prompt and effective implementation of its resolutions related to the fight against terrorism, and recalls in this regard among others its resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005) and 2178 (2014).

“The Security Council, consistent with its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, further recalls that countering violent extremism, which can be conducive to terrorism, including preventing radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization of individuals into terrorist groups and becoming Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) is an essential element of addressing the threat to international peace and security posed by Foreign Terrorist Fighters, as underlined in resolution 2178 (2014), and in this regard, takes note of the Secretary General’s Plan of Action to prevent violent extremism, and further notes that the General Assembly has welcomed the initiative by the Secretary-General and took note of said Plan, which will be subject to further consideration during the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy review in June 2016, as well as in other relevant forums.

“The Security Council notes with concern that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, craft distorted narratives that are based on the misinterpretation and misrepresentation of religion to justify violence, which are utilized to recruit supporters and Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs), mobilize resources, and garner support from sympathizers, in particular by exploiting information and communications technologies, including through the Internet and social media.

“The Security Council recognizes the role that victims of terrorism in particular, among other legitimate voices, can play in countering radicalization to violence, and to develop robust social-media campaigns and counter messaging efforts to counter terrorist narratives and online recruitment attempts.

“The Security Council further notes, in this regard, the urgent need to globally counter the activities of ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities to incite and recruit to commit terrorist acts and recognizes that the international community should consider: developing an accurate understanding of how these groups motivate others to commit terrorist acts or recruit them; developing the most effective means to counter terrorist propaganda, incitement and recruitment, including through the Internet, in compliance with international law, including international human rights law; developing a counter narrative campaign to encourage, and amplify active denouncers of ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities to point out the fallacies and inconsistencies of terrorist narratives, where applicable, while recognizing the need for such a campaign to be adaptive to national contexts; raising public awareness, including through education regarding counter terrorist narratives; developing more effective ways for governments to partner with appropriate civil society actors, local communities and private sector industry partners, as applicable, to counter radicalization and recruitment efforts of ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities; strengthening international cooperation mechanisms; identifying any additional relevant infrastructure and capability needs of Member States; and mobilizing necessary resources to where there is need.

“The Security Council, accordingly, requests the Counter-Terrorism Committee, in close consultations with the CTED and other relevant United Nations bodies and international and regional organizations in particular the CTITF office, as well as interested Member States, to present a proposal to the Security Council by 30 April 2017 for a “comprehensive international framework”, with recommended guidelines and good practices to effectively counter, in compliance with international law, the ways that ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities use their narratives to encourage, motivate, and recruit others to commit terrorist acts, including with a counter narrative campaign, consistent with any similar campaign undertaken by the United Nations, as well as options for coordinating the implementation of the framework and mobilizing resources as necessary, emphasizing, in that regard, the primary role of Member States with regard to activities and arrangements consistent with such framework and welcoming their continuing efforts to enhance inter agency cooperation and coordination and establish relevant partnerships with private sector, civil society, religious, educational and cultural institutions with a view to countering the narratives of terrorist groups and incitement to commit terrorist acts.”

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