Briefing from the Chairs of the Counter-Terrorism-Related Committees
Tomorrow afternoon (19 November), the Security Council will convene for the annual open briefing on the work of its counter-terrorism-related committees. The expected briefers are Ambassador Sandra Jensen Landi (Denmark), the chair of the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee; Ambassador Amar Bendjama (Algeria), the chair of the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC); and Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba (Panama), the chair of the 1540 Committee. Each chair will deliver a briefing on the work of their respective committees. Unlike previous years, a joint briefing will not be delivered on behalf of the three chairs.
1267/1989/2253 ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee
In updating the Council on the work of the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, Landi is expected to describe the Committee’s work and the evolving threat posed by ISIL, Al-Qaida, and their affiliates.
She may refer to the adoption of resolution 2799 of 6 November, which removed interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida sanctions list. (For more information, see our 5 November What’s in Blue story.) She is also likely to mention resolution 2761 of 6 December 2024, which extended the application of the humanitarian carve-out established by resolution 2664 of 9 December 2022 to the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida sanctions regime for an indefinite period. (For more information, see our 5 December 2024 What’s in Blue story.)
Landi is expected to cover the findings of the latest report of the Monitoring Team assisting the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, which was published on 24 July. The report notes that while Al-Qaida’s central leadership has remained weak, there are indications that its appetite for external operations has increased. It also says that although ISIL activity in the Middle East has been constrained by counter-terrorism pressure, particularly in Iraq and parts of Syria, the group will continue to pose an external threat from Syria if the divisions in the country lead to a permissive space for planning and executing attacks.
The report further describes the activities of terrorist groups in Africa, noting that ISIL’s pivot towards the continent has continued. The situation is especially worrying in the Sahel, where Al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) is carrying out increasingly complex attacks using drones, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and large numbers of fighters while seeking to establish itself as a governing actor. In particular, the situation in Mali has deteriorated in recent weeks, as JNIM has been carrying out attacks near the capital, Bamako, and blocking fuel supplies to the capital and other regions of the country. (For more information, see our 17 November What’s in Blue story.) The report also highlights the activities of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K), ISIL’s Afghan affiliate, noting that it represents “the most serious threat, both regionally and internationally”.
1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee
Bendjama is expected to mention the CTC’s adoption of the “Non-binding guiding principles on preventing, detecting and disrupting the use of new and emerging financial technologies for terrorist purposes”, also known as the “Algeria Guiding Principles”. This document was developed in accordance with the “Delhi Declaration on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes”, which was adopted during a special session of the CTC held in India in October 2022. (Among other matters, the Delhi Declaration expressed an intention to develop, with support from the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate [CTED], a set of non-binding guiding principles to assist member states to counter the threat posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes.) He is also likely to refer to meetings held by the CTC during his term, such as the 27 October briefing marking CTED’s 20th anniversary.
1540 Committee
Alfaro is expected to highlight the important role that resolution 1540 plays in global non-proliferation. (Adopted in 2004, resolution 1540 aims to prevent non-state actors from obtaining access to weapons of mass destruction and encourages enhanced cooperation in this regard.) He may refer to the importance of voluntary national implementation action plans, which are intended to help member states identify their priorities for implementing resolution 1540. On 29 October, during his statement at the Committee-organised open briefing for member states, regional, and subregional organisations, Alfaro said that 39 states had submitted a total of 48 national implementation plans to the 1540 Committee.
Alfaro is also likely to cover the Committee’s other outreach activities, such as the upcoming Points of Contact (PoC) Training Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, which the Committee will be organising between 15 and 17 December in Panama. The Committee undertakes such training courses on a regional basis, to strengthen national PoC capacity to better understand and implement resolution 1540.
