Stop Terrorism...

All too often we are reminded that terrorism continues to inflict pain and suffering on people’s lives all over the world. Almost no week goes by without an act of terrorism taking place somewhere in the world, indiscriminately affecting innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Countering this scourge is in the interest of all nations and the issue has been on the agenda of the United Nations for decades.

Sixteen universal instruments (thirteen instruments and three amendments) against international terrorism have been elaborated within the framework of the United Nations system relating to specific terrorist activities. Member States through the General Assembly have been increasingly coordinating their counter-terrorism efforts and continuing their legal norm-setting work. The Security Council has also been active in countering terrorism through resolutions and by establishing several subsidiary bodies. At the same time a number of programmes, offices and agencies of the United Nations system have been engaged in specific activities against terrorism, further assisting Member States in their counter-terrorism efforts.

To consolidate and enhance these activities, Member States in September 2006 embarked upon a new phase in their counter-terrorism efforts by agreeing on a global strategy to counter terrorism. The Strategy marks the first time that all Member States of the United Nations have agreed to a common strategic and operational framework to fight terrorism. The Strategy forms a basis for a concrete plan of action: to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism; to prevent and combat terrorism; to take measures to build state capacity to fight terrorism; to strengthen the role of the United Nations in combating terrorism; and to ensure the respect of human rights while countering terrorism. The Strategy builds on the unique consensus achieved by world leaders at their 2005 September Summit to condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Updates

The General Assembly held its first review of the implementation of the Strategy on 4-5 September 2008 and adopted a resolution reaffirming its commitment to the Strategy and its implementation. As one of the inputs to this process, the Secretary-General has compiled a report on activities of the UN system in implementing the Strategy.

On 9 September 2008, the Secretary General convened the first ever global Symposium on Supporting Victims of Terrorism. A report summarizing the key themes and recommendations of the Symposium and a video summary have been produced and were released at a discussion with Victims, Member States, and NGOs on 18 March 2009.

In June 2009, the Secretary-General made initial arrangements to institutionalize the Task Force by establishing a CTITF-Secretariat in the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). CTITF aims to catalyze and mobilize counter-terrorism efforts of various UN system entities to assist Member States in implementing the Strategy.