Fighting International Terrorism

Fighting International Terrorism

As a transnational threat, terrorism can only be addressed effectively through the combined efforts of

the international community. The United Nations serves as the key platform for combating international terrorism, as it brings nations together to share resources and information, coordinates

counterterrorism activities, supports victims of terrorism, and creates frameworks to assist the countries that are most critical to the disruption and weakening of global terrorism. The United

Nations has formulated a comprehensive global strategy to counter terrorism, has built support for multiple international treaties, and continues to monitor terrorist activities and impose sanctions on known terrorists. It also works to secure and destroy stockpiles of nuclear and chemical weapons so that they do not end up in the hands of terrorists.

UN Actions against Terrorism

• The United Nations is the only international organization with the global capacity and legitimacy to effectively coordinate the effort to counter the transnational threat of terrorism.

• In 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution creating a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy—the first time that all 192 UN member states have agreed to a common strategic and

operational approach to fight terrorism.

• Thirteen counterterrorism treaties have been adopted at the United Nations, providing the legal basis for international cooperation to prevent terrorist financing, carry out joint law enforcement and intelligence efforts against terrorist attacks, and harmonize criminal justice standards.

• Counterterrorism will almost certainly continue to be a top priority on the security agenda of the international community in 2009, and the United States can play a major role in strengthening UN capabilities in this area by engaging and lending its support to UN counterterrorism efforts.

Enhancing the UN Role in Counterterrorism

A Global Strategy to Fight Terrorism: The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted on September 8, 2006 by the UN General Assembly, is a commitment by all UN member states to a

common strategic and operational approach to fight terrorism. The strategy includes practical steps to be taken at the local, national, and international levels to address the conditions that help spread terrorism, prevent and combat terrorist acts, build state capacity, strengthen the United Nations’ counterterrorism role, ensure coordination with regional organizations, and safeguard human rights and the rule of law in the fight against terrorism.

Counterterrorism Treaties: Beyond the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, 13 counterterrorism treaties have been adopted at the United Nations, including the International Convention for the

Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear

Terrorism. They provide the legal basis for international cooperation to prevent terrorist financing, carry out joint law enforcement and intelligence efforts against terrorist attacks, and harmonize criminal justice standards. Additionally, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime has assisted 112 countries in synchronizing their national legislation with these international conventions, providing states with the tools required to prevent, suppress, and prosecute terrorism.

The Role of the UN Security Council: The UN Security Council plays a critical role in fighting terrorism as well. The Security Council established a Counter-Terrorism Committee that seeks to

diminish the financial and logistical capability of terrorist organizations by freezing terrorist assets, denying terrorists travel and safe haven, preventing terrorist recruitment, and sharing information for prosecution of terrorists. Other Security Council committees, such as the Non-Proliferation Committee and the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee also play key roles in coordinating the transnational fight against terrorism.

Keeping Weapons Out of Terrorist Hands: Other UN institutions help ensure that weapons of mass destruction do not fall into terrorist hands. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is

a core actor in countering nuclear terrorism and provides member states with information and a technical reach that is beyond their individual capacities. The IAEA helps prevent nuclear terrorism

through a three-point plan designed to prevent, detect, and respond to any illicit or non-peaceful use of nuclear material. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) works toward the eradication of chemical weapons, and its work has led to the deactivation of all declared weapons production facilities, subjecting facilities to stringent verification in countries representing 95% of the world’s population.

Counterterrorism and the International Security Agenda

Fighting the transnational threat of terrorism will almost certainly remain a top global priority throughout 2009, and the United Nations remains committed to using its unique advantages to play an important role in this fight. By utilizing its convening power, the United Nations will continue to bring the international community together to coordinate counterterrorism efforts. By actively

engaging with the United Nations on these efforts and lending its support to strengthening UN counterterrorism capacities and institutions, the United States can continue to build up the

international community’s and its own capability to make the world safer from international terrorism