United Nations Security Council Resolution 2322 – Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts

Resolution 2322 (2016)

The Security Council,

Recalling its resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000), 1363 (2001), 1373 (2001), 1390 (2002), 1452 (2002), 1455 (2003), 1526 (2004), 1566 (2004), 1617 (2005), 1624 (2005), 1699 (2006), 1730 (2006), 1735 (2006), 1822 (2008), 1904 (2009), 1988 (2011), 1989 (2011), 2083 (2012), 2129 (2013), 2133 (2014), 2170 (2014), 2178 (2014), 2195 (2014), 2199 (2015), 2214 (2015), 2249 (2015), 2253 (2015) and 2309 (2016),

Reaffirming its commitment to sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,

Reaffirming that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, whenever, wherever, and by whomsoever committed,

Reaffirming that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group,

Condemning terrorists and terrorist groups, in particular the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities, for ongoing and multiple criminal terrorist acts aimed at causing the deaths of innocent civilians and other victims, destruction of property, and greatly undermining stability,

Deeply concerned by the increasing number of victims, especially among civilians of diverse nationalities and beliefs, caused by terrorism motivated by intolerance or extremism in various regions of the world, reaffirming its profound solidarity with the victims of terrorism and their families, and stressing the importance of assisting victims of terrorism and providing them and their families with support to cope with their loss and grief,

Gravely concerned that in some cases terrorists or terrorist groups, in particular ISIL, Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities continue to profit from involvement in transnational organized crime, and expressing concern that terrorists benefit from transnational organized crime in some regions, including from the trafficking of arms, persons, drugs, and artifacts, and from the illicit trade in natural resources including gold and other precious metals and stones, minerals, wildlife, charcoal and oil, as well as from kidnapping for ransom and other crimes including extortion and bank robbery,

Expressing concern at the continuing use, in a globalized society, by terrorists and their supporters, of information and communications technologies, in particular the Internet, to facilitate terrorist acts, and condemning their use to incite, recruit, fund, or plan terrorist acts,

Expressing concern also at the continued flow of international recruits to ISIL, Al- Qaida, and associated groups, and recalling its resolution 2178 (2014) deciding that Member States shall, consistent with international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law, prevent and suppress the recruiting, organizing, transporting, or equipping of foreign terrorist fighters and the financing of their travel and of their activities,

Particularly concerned at the growing involvement of terrorist groups, especially in areas of conflict, in the destruction and the trafficking in cultural property and related offences, and recognizing the indispensable role of international cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice responses to combat such trafficking and related offences in a comprehensive and effective manner,

Reiterating the obligation of Member States to prevent the movement of terrorists and terrorist groups, in accordance with applicable international law, by, inter alia, effective border controls, and, in this context, to exchange information expeditiously, improve cooperation among competent authorities to prevent the movement of terrorists and terrorist groups to and from their territories, the supply of weapons for terrorists, and financing that would support terrorists,

Stressing that terrorism can only be defeated by a sustained and comprehensive approach involving the active participation and collaboration of all States and international and regional organizations to impede, impair, isolate, and incapacitate the terrorist threat,

Underlining the importance of strengthening international cooperation, including by investigators, prosecutors and judges, in order to prevent, investigate and prosecute terrorist acts, and recognizing the persisting challenges associated with strengthening international cooperation in combating terrorism including in stemming the flow of FTFs to and returning from conflict zones, in particular due to the cross border nature of the activity,

Stressing that the development and maintenance of fair and effective criminal justice systems should be a fundamental basis of any strategy to counter terrorism and transnational organized crime,

Recalling that timely cooperation and action, in accordance with international obligations, can help States to prevent FTFs from travelling to conflict zones, develop effective strategies to deal with returnees, preserve through law enforcement and judicial authorities critical evidence for legal proceedings, and facilitate the implementation of procedures for prosecution,

Noting the significant increase in the requests for cooperation in gathering digital data and evidence from the Internet and stressing the importance of considering the re-evaluation of methods and best practices, as appropriate, in particular, related to investigative techniques and electronic evidence,

Calling upon Member States to continue exercising vigilance over relevant financial transactions and improve information-sharing capabilities and practices, in line with applicable international and national law, within and between governments through relevant authorities including judicial authorities and channels, including law enforcement, intelligence, security services, and financial intelligence units, and also calling upon Member States to improve integration and utilization of financial intelligence with other types of information available, such as that provided by the private sector to national governments, to more effectively counter the terrorist financing threats posed by ISIL, Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, including through actions related to investigative techniques, evidence gathering and prosecution,

Calling upon Member States to continue information-sharing, through appropriate channels and arrangements, and consistent with international and domestic law, on individuals and entities implicated in terrorist activities, in particular their supply of weapons and sources of material support, and on the ongoing international counter-terrorism cooperation including among special services, security agencies and law enforcement organizations and criminal justice authorities,

Welcoming the efforts by UNODC to upgrade its existing networks of Central Authorities to encompass the ones responsible for counter terrorism matters,

Recalling that the obligation in paragraph 1(d) of resolution 1373 (2001) also applies to making funds, financial assets or economic resources or financial or other related services available, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of terrorist organizations or individual terrorists for any purpose, including but not limited to recruitment, training, or travel, even in the absence of a link to a specific terrorist act,

Adopted by the Security Council at its 7831st meeting, on 12 December 2016.