United Nations Security Council Resolution 2370 – Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts – Preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons

Resolution 2370 (2017)

The Security Council,

Recalling its resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001), 1844 (2008), 1963 (2010), 2129 (2013), 2195 (2014), 2220 (2015), 2253 (2015), 2322 (2016), 2341 (2017), 2368 (2017),

Reaffirming its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,

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

Reaffirming that terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed, and remaining determined to contribute further to enhancing the effectiveness of the overall effort to fight this scourge on a global level,

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

Stressing also that States must ensure that any measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, and should adopt such measures in accordance with international law, in particular international human rights law, refugee law, and humanitarian law,

Gravely concerned that the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in many regions of the world continue to pose threats to international peace and security, causes significant loss of life, contribute to instability and insecurity and continue to undermine the effectiveness of the Security Council in discharging its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security,

Strongly condemning the continued flow of weapons, including small arms and light weapons, military equipment, unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and their components, and improvised explosive device (IED) components to and between ISIL (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, their affiliates, and associated groups, illegal armed groups and criminals, and encouraging Member States to prevent and disrupt procurement networks for such weapons, systems and components between ISIL (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities,

Recognizing that the illicit transfer, theft from national stockpiles and illicit craft production can be a source of small arms and light weapons which can enable terrorist groups to considerably increase their armed capabilities,

Noting with grave concern the increasing and frequent global use of improvised explosive devices (IED’s) in terrorist attacks,

Stressing the paramount need to prevent illegal armed groups, terrorists and other unauthorized recipients from, and identify the networks that support them in, obtaining, handling, financing, storing, using or seeking access to all types of explosives, whether military or civilian, as well as other military or civilian materials and components that can be used to manufacture improvised explosive devices, including detonators, detonating cords and chemical components, while at the same time avoiding any undue restrictions on the legitimate use of those materials,

Stressing that the active participation and collaboration of all States and international, regional and subregional organizations is needed to impede, impair, isolate, and incapacitate the terrorist threat, and emphasizing the importance of implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS), contained in General Assembly resolution 60/288 of 8 September 2006, and its subsequent reviews,

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

Reiterating its call 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,

Acknowledging the important contribution of relevant Council-mandated arms embargoes in helping to eliminate the supply of small arms and light weapons to terrorists, and noting the need to improve information sharing on possible arms embargo violations between groups of experts, peacekeeping missions within their mandates and other relevant United Nations entities,

Reaffirming its resolution 1373 (2001) and in particular its decisions that all States shall prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts and refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by suppressing recruitment of members of terrorist groups and eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists,

Reaffirming the importance of full implementation of resolutions 2199 (2015), 2253 (2015) and 2368 (2017),

Urging all States, including States where ISIL is present, to prevent any trade, economic, and financial ties with ISIL (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities, including through enhancing their border security efforts,

Recognizing the value of the “Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects”, including measures aiming at achieving effective physical security and management of stockpiles of small arms and light weapons, as an important means to contribute to eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists,

Noting with appreciation the efforts made by Member States, intergovernmental, regional and subregional organizations in addressing threats to international peace and security posed by the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons to terrorists, and noting the significant role of civil society and the private sector in supporting such efforts,

Noting the continuing coordination on counter-terrorism efforts between the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) supported by the Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the World Customs Organization (WCO), the United Nations Office on Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in particular on technical assistance and capacity-building, the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and all other United Nations bodies, and encouraging their further engagement with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT) to ensure overall coordination and coherence in the counter-terrorism efforts of the United Nations system,

1. Reaffirms its decision in resolution 1373 (2001) that all States shall refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists, and stresses the importance of full and effective implementation of the relevant resolutions and appropriately addressing the issues related to the lack thereof;

2. Calls upon all states to consider becoming party to the related international and regional instruments, with a view to help eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists, and to fully implement their respective obligations under those to which they are a party;

3. Reaffirms its intention to take appropriate measures, when needed, to strengthen relevant arms embargos’ monitoring mechanisms which can help ensure the elimination of the supply of weapons to terrorists, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions;

4. Encourages Member States to take appropriate steps in accordance with international law to prevent and disrupt activity that would result in violations of relevant Council-mandated arms embargos;

5. Recognizes the need for Member States to undertake appropriate measures consistent with international law to address the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, in particular to terrorists, including by enhancing, where appropriate and consistent with their domestic legal frameworks, national systems for collection and analysis of detailed data on illicit trafficking of such weapons to terrorists, and putting in place, where they do not exist, adequate laws, regulations and administrative procedures to exercise effective control over the production, export, import, brokering, transit or retransfer of small arms and light weapons within their areas of jurisdiction, taking into consideration the “Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects” in order to prevent the illicit trafficking to terrorists of such weapons;

6. Urges Member States to undertake, as appropriate, the following measures, on the national level, to eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists:

(a) Ensure the ability to take appropriate legal actions against those who are knowingly engaged in providing terrorists with weapons;

(b) Ensure proper physical security and management for stockpiles of small arms and light weapons;

(c) Encourage the implementation of marking and tracing procedures of small arms and light weapons to improve traceability of such weapons which could be provided to terrorists through illicit trafficking;

(d) Strengthen, where appropriate, their judicial, law enforcement and border-control capacities, and developing their investigation capabilities of arms-trafficking networks to address the link between transnational organized crime and terrorism;

7. Emphasizes the importance of Member States taking appropriate measures, at the national, regional and international levels, in accordance with international law, and consistent with their domestic legal framework, to prevent the illicit trafficking of weapons to terrorists in conflict areas, and to prevent, within this context, looting or acquiring small arms and light weapons from national stockpiles by terrorists, and stresses in this regard on the importance of assisting States in those regions to enable them to monitor and control stockpiles of small arms and light weapons, in order to prevent terrorists from acquiring them;

8. Urges Member States to enhance, as appropriate, international and regional cooperation regarding training on good practices, in coordination with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the World Customs Organization;

9. Urges Member States to fully implement the “Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects” and the International Tracing Instrument in order to assist in preventing terrorists from acquiring small arms and light weapons, in particular in conflict and post-conflict areas;

10. Calls upon Member States to raise awareness to the threats of IEDs, and enhance the institutional capabilities and resources for preventing and countering such threats, including by collaborating with the private sector;

11. Recalls its decision that Member States, in order to prevent ISIL (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities from obtaining, handling, storing, using or seeking access to all types of explosives, whether military, civilian or improvised explosives, as well as to raw materials and components that can be used to manufacture IEDs or unconventional weapons, including (but not limited to) chemical components, detonators, detonating cord, or poisons, shall undertake appropriate measures to promote the exercise of enhanced vigilance by their nationals, persons subject to their jurisdiction and entities incorporated in their territory or subject to their jurisdiction that are involved in the production, sale, supply, purchase, transfer and storage of such materials, including through the issuance of good practices, and further encourages Member States to share information, establish partnerships, and develop national strategies and capabilities to counter IEDs;

12. Encourages Member States, as appropriate, to strengthen cooperation and the exchange of good practices with civil society, the public and private sectors, including with representatives of industry in combating the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in small arms and light weapons and improvised explosive devices, including awareness-raising;

13. Urges Member States to act cooperatively to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons, including through information and communications technologies, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and in compliance with obligations under international law, and stresses the importance of cooperation with civil society and the private sector in this endeavour, including through establishing public private partnerships;

14. Stresses the importance of international cooperation to prevent and eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists, and encourages Member States in this regard to enhance in particular their judicial and law enforcement cooperation, consistent with their international obligations and domestic legal framework;

15. Emphasizes the importance of enhancing cooperation and coordination among the relevant UN entities, and in particular the relevant Security Council sanctions committees and subsidiary bodies, to assist in preventing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists;

16. Directs the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC), with the support of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) to continue as appropriate, within their respective mandates, to examine Member States efforts to eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists, as relevant to the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001)with the aim of identifying good practices, gaps and vulnerabilities in this field;

17. Encourages in this regard the CTC, with the support of CTED, as well as the UNOCT to continue working together to facilitate technical assistance and capacity building and to raise awareness in the field of eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists, in particular by strengthening its dialogue with States and relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and working closely, including by sharing information, with relevant bilateral and multilateral technical assistance providers;

18. Directs the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (also known as Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, to continue to focus, including in its reports and updates, on the threat of supplying weapons to ISIL, (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities;

19. Encourages the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team to coordinate its efforts to monitor and respond to the threat posed by supplying weapons to ISIL, (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities, with other United Nations counter-terrorism bodies, in particular CTED, as well as with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA);

20. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Adopted by the Security Council at its 8017th meeting, on 2 August 2017.