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Latest post: Mon 8 Aug 2022

Insights on the work of the UN Security Council

Counter-Terrorism: Briefing on the Secretary-General’s Strategic Level Report on ISIL/Da’esh

Tomorrow (9 August), the Security Council will convene for a briefing on the Secretary-General’s 15th biannual strategic level report (S/2022/576) on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) to international peace and security. Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Vladimir Voronkov and Acting Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) Weixiong Chen are expected to brief. A representative of civil society with counter-terrorism experience in Africa is also expected to brief.

Voronkov and Chen are likely to note that the threat posed by Da’esh and its affiliates continued to rise during the first half of 2022. The Secretary-General’s report, which was issued on 26 July, says that there has been no deviation from the trend observed during the past two years and indicates that the threat remains particularly high in conflict-affected areas. It also says that the threat may spill over to non-conflict areas and notes that both Da’esh and its affiliates “continue to exploit security gaps and conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism to recruit and to organize and execute complex attacks”, despite the terrorist group’s recent leadership losses. The report further notes that the downturn in the global economy and inflation, together with the fiscal and monetary measures implemented by member states to manage these problems, may exacerbate existing conditions conducive to terrorism and increase the threat posed by Da’esh.

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