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Around the Web: The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
From the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism…
Adopted by consensus in 2006
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy on 8 September 2006. The strategy is a unique global instrument to enhance national, regional and international efforts to counter terrorism.
Through its adoption that all Member States have agreed the first time to a common strategic and operational approach to fight terrorism, not only sending a clear message that terrorism is unacceptable in all its forms and manifestation but also resolving to take practical steps individually and collectively to prevent and combat it. Those practical steps include a wide array of measures ranging from strengthening state capacity to counter terrorist threats to better coordinating United Nations system’s counter-terrorism activities.
The adoption of the strategy fulfiled the commitment made by world leaders at the 2005 September Summit and builds on many of the elements proposed by the Secretary-General in his 2 May 2006 report, entitled Uniting against Terrorism: Recommendations for a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Reviewed every 2 years
The General Assembly reviews the Strategy every two years, making it a living document attuned to Member States’ counter-terrorism priorities.
The Fifth Review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy took place on 1 July 2016. The General Assmbly examined the report of the Secretary-General (A/70/826) on the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy over the past decade. It also gave further consideration to the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (A/70/674–A/70/675), which was presented by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly in January 2016. The General Assembly adopted the resolution (A/RES/70/291) by consenus.
4 pillars
The General Assembly reviews the Strategy every two years, making it a living document attuned to Member States’ counter-terrorism priorities. The fourth review of the Strategy took place in June 2014 (A/RES/68/276) and was preceded by a report from the United Nations Secretary-General (A/68/841) that included an overview of the evolving terrorism landscape, recommendations to address challenges and threats, and a compilation of measures taken by Member States and United Nations entities to fight against terrorism.
The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the form of a resolution and an annexed Plan of Action (A/RES/60/288)composed of 4 pillars
- Addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism
- Measures to prevent and combat terrorism
- Measures to build states’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the role of the United Nations system in that regard;
- Measures to ensure respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism.
