United Nations takes steps to eliminate international terrorism
| Author | Axel Palmason |
| Position | IMF United Nations Office |
| Pages | 329-330 |
Page 329
Over the past several years, the United Nations (UN) has established 12 treaties and protocols on international terrorism. The first was signed in 1963 and the most recent, in 1999. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Secretary-General called on member states to make it their "first order of business" to sign and ratify all UN treaties and protocols on international terrorism and strive to forge an agreement on a comprehensive convention against international terrorism, which is currently being discussed in the UN.
The Security Council adopted a far-reaching antiterrorism resolution (1373) on September 28, 2001, which legally binds the 189 UN member states to seek out and prosecute terrorists and halt all funds that support them. The resolution calls for the financial assets of those who commit, attempt to commit, or facilitate terrorist acts to be frozen. States should refrain from providing support to people involved in terrorism and prohibit their nationals or people in their territories from making funds or services available to terrorists.
Member states should also bring to justice anyone who has participated in terrorism or the financing of terrorist acts and ensure that such acts are established as serious criminal offenses in domestic laws and punished accordingly.Moreover, states should collaborate in criminal investigations and proceedings relating to the financing or support of terrorist acts.
The Security Council noted with concern the close connection between international terrorism and transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, money laundering, and illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological, and other deadly materials. It emphasized the need to simultaneously enhance coordination of efforts on national, regional, and international levels to strengthen the global response.
Finally, the Security Council decided to establish a committee (consisting of its 15 members) to monitor implementation of the resolution with the assistance of appropriate expertise and called upon member states to report within 90 days on the steps they have taken to implement the resolution. The committee is to submit a work program within 30 days of the adoption of the resolution and consider the support it requires in consultation with the Secretary-General.
The ranking U.K. diplomat at the UN, Jeremy...
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