Expanding the Reach of U.S. Counter-Terrorism Efforts

Fighting International Terrorism

Terrorism, a transnational threat, can only be addressed thoroughly and effectively through the combined efforts of the international community. As we learned after September 11, 2001, terror networks operate in countries that are very often beyond the reach of American access and influence. The United Nations is an important and critical partner because it can amplify and broaden the reach of American counter-terrorism efforts. In particular, it can reach those countries in which the United States does not have strong bilateral relationships or sufficient credibility to operate.

UN actions to fight terrorism are an integral part of America’s efforts to establish an international framework to root out violent extremism and terrorist activity. The UN is the key platform for combating international terrorism; it brings nations together to share resources and information, coordinate counter-terrorism activities, and create frameworks to assist those countries which disrupt and weaken global terrorist networks.

UN Actions against Terrorism

• UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee: Security Council Resolution 1373 established this committee after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This Security Council committee seeks to diminish the financial and logistical capability of terrorist organizations by criminalizing assistance to terrorist activities, imposing asset freezes, and banning travel. The committee and its executive directorate, made up of 25 counter-terrorism experts, has assisted and trained almost 60 countries all over the world to implement the Resolution’s requirement that member states adopt a series of measures to prevent terrorist acts both within their borders and across regions.
• Non-Proliferation Committee: This committee and its eight experts monitor efforts to implement Security Council Resolution 1540, which mandates member states take a series of steps to prevent weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery from getting into terrorist hands. The committee was established in 2004 partly in response to the passage of nuclear secrets to North Korea, Libya and Iran by rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. The committee requires all member states to establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.
• Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee: Security Council Resolution 1267 established this committee and its monitoring team. The committee monitors the implementation of financial and travel sanctions and arms bans imposed by this resolution and subsequent resolutions against Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and related groups and individuals on the committee’s Consolidated List.
• Counter-Terrorism Treaties: The 13 UN counter-terrorism treaties have greatly enhanced the U.S. fight against international terrorism. The treaties 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 in places with poor systems. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) assists over 110 countries in synchronizing their legislation with these treaties and provides them with the tools to prevent, suppress, and prosecute terrorism.
• Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy: In September 2010, the UN reaffirmed its commitment to the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The Resolution, adopted by all 192 UN member states in 2006, is a strategic and operational plan to fight terrorism. The strategy includes practical steps to be taken at the local, national, and international levels to address the conditions that spread terrorism, prevent and combat terrorist acts, build state capacity, improve the UN’s ability to combat terrorism, ensure coordination, and safeguard human rights and the rule of law in the fight against terrorism.
• The Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force: Established by the UN Secretary-General, the Task Force coordinates UN efforts to implement the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The Task Force is made up of 24 members, including UN departments, agencies, and programs like UNDP, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, DPKO, UNESCO, as well as partners like INTERPOL and the World Bank. These agencies help the UN examine the conditions conducive to terrorism that can lead to violent extremism and are covered under the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
• Keeping Weapons Out of Terrorist Hands: Other UN institutions ensure that weapons of mass destruction do not fall into terrorist hands. The International Atomic Energy Agency counters nuclear terrorism and provides member states with information and technical reach that is beyond their individual capacities. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons works toward the eradication of chemical weapons; it efforts have led to the deactivation of all declared weapons production facilities, subjecting those in countries representing 95 percent of the world’s population to stringent verification.

Counter-Terrorism and the International Security Agenda

Fighting the transnational terrorism threat will remain a top global priority throughout 2011, and the UN remains committed to using its unique advantages to play an important role in this fight. By utilizing its convening power, the UN will continue to bring the international community together to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts. By actively engaging with the UN on these efforts and lending its support to strengthening UN counter-terrorism capacities and institutions, the U.S. can continue to build up the international community and its own capability to make the world safer from terrorism.