‘Cooperation among member states remains indispensable’ to address Daesh/ISIS threat: UN

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN warned on Thursday about the continued threat posed by the Daesh/ISIS terror group, saying that "cooperation among member states remains indispensable."

"Unfortunately, the situation in parts of Africa has not improved since my last briefing. The terrorist landscape in West Africa and the Sahel remains challenging and complex," UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov told a Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

Warning about terror groups expanding in the Sahel region in Africa, Voronkov stressed that recruitment efforts by Daesh/ISIS and other terror groups in Afghanistan "remains a significant concern."

"We must unite to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a hotbed of terrorism," he urged.

He announced a high-level conference in Kuwait in November to address the effects of "regional counter-terrorism cooperation well beyond Central Asia."

Voronkov said cooperation alone is insufficient "unless it leads to responses that are comprehensively and firmly grounded on political strategies where responses may sometimes require the legitimate use of force."

Noting that the political strategies should aim to address "multifaceted drivers of terrorism and violent extremism," he said it must also fully comply with international human rights and humanitarian law.

"Terrorism remains a significant challenge for the international community that no state can tackle alone," he added.

Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, told the Council
that the UN continues to work with member states to counter terrorism financing.