United Nations A/71/858 Distr.: General 3 April 2017 Original: English General Assembly Seventy -first session Agenda item 118 The United Nations Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy Capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the United Nations Global CounterTerrorism Strategy Report of the Secretary -General I. Introduction 1. The present report is issued in response to paragraph 70 of G eneral Assembly resolution 70/291, adopted on 1 July 2016 during the fifth review of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. In the resolution, the Assembly requested: The Secretary -General to review, in consultation with the General Assembly, the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States, upon their request, in implementing the Strategy in a balanced manner, including by strengthening cooperation with other international an d regional organizations and improving the mobilization of resources necessary for capacity -building projects, with a view to providing concrete suggestions to the Assembly in this regard, by May 2017, for consideration by the Assembly during its seventy first session. 2. This review was conducted in response to that request and in consultation with the General Assembly. The President of the Assembly convened an informal meeting on 22 February 2017, at which I presented my suggestion to strengthen the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the Strategy and heard the views of Member States. Furthermore, in response to a note verbale dated 23 February 2017, 28 Member States and three organizations on behalf of their members, namely, the European Union, the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, provided written submissions. 3. The adoption, by consensus, of resolution 70/291 symbolized the international community's strong resolve to act in unison to address the rapidly evolving phenomenon of terrorism. Through that resolution, the General Assembly also demonstrated its pivotal role in updating and implementing the Strategy and its four pillars: (a) measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism; 17 -05341 (E) *1705341* 110417 A/71/858 (b) measures to prevent and combat terrorism; (c) measures to build States' capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the role of the United Nations system in that regard; and (d) measures to ensure the respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism. 1 Since the adoption of the Strategy in 2006, the goal of the biennial reviews of the Assembly has been to make the Strategy a living document, attuned to changing priorities. 4. The fifth review of the General Assembly, embodied in resolution 70/291, was aimed at updating the Strategy to more effectively address the evolving terr orist threat that the international community faces. Notwithstanding progress made by Member States and their recent military advances, terrorist groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), Al - Qaida and Boko Haram continue to pose a threat to international peace and security. In addition, terrorism has a devastating impact on sustainable development, human rights and humanitarian action at the global, regional and national levels. 5. In order to address this challenge, our counter -terrorism efforts need to be part of a global, comprehensive approach that supports the balanced implementation of the Strategy. While this review of the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the Strategy demonstrates pro gress, a lot more needs to be done. 6. Guided by the purposes and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the restructuring of the United Nations counter -terrorism architecture suggested in this report will allow us to work better together an d multiply our impact on terrorism at the national, regional and international levels. Such restructuring does not intend to change the existing mandates of the various United Nations entities. In full respect of the principle of sovereignty, it should imp rove the capability of the United Nations to assist Member States. Those suggestions are consistent with the purpose of the overall management reform of the Organization, which, among other things, is to seek greater efficiencies, simplification, coordination and coherence. II. Review of the current capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy A. International legal and normative framework against terrorism 7. Member States repeatedly cite terrorism as a major threat to international peace and security. Addressing this threat is a priority of the United Nations, as demonstrated by the increasing number of resolutions recently adopted by the General Assembly, including resolution 70/291 on the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy Review, 71/38 on measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, 71/66 on preventing the acquisition by terrorists of radioactive sources and 71/151 on measures to eliminate international terrorism, and by the Security Council, including 2309 (2016) on terrorist threats to civil aviation, 2322 (2016) on international judicial cooperation in the fight against terrorism, 2331 (2016) on trafficking in persons and terrorism and 2341 (2017) on the protection of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks. __________________ 1 See General Assembly resolution 60/288, annex. 17-05341 2/58 A/71/858 8. Full implementation of the international legal framework against terrorism by all Member States would greatly contribute to strengthening international cooperation against that threat. In its resolution 71/151, the General Assembly encouraged all Member States to redouble their efforts towards resolving any outstanding issues aimed at finalizing the process on the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism. B. Overview of the current counter -terrorism architecture of the United Nations 9. In order to leverage the comparative advantages of the United Nations norm setting and convening authority to support responses by Member States t o the evolving threat of terrorism, Member States have set up a counter -terrorism architecture, which consists of both General Assembly and Security Council mandated bodies (see figure I). Figure I Main United Nations counter -terrorism bodies Abbreviations : 1540 Expert Group, Expert Group of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004); CTED, Counter - Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate; CTITF, Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force; Monitoring Team, Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1526 (2004) and 2253 (2015); TPB, Terrorism Prevention Branch; UNCCT, United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre; UNICRI, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute; UNODC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 10. United Nations counter -terrorism bodies are tasked with three main functions: (a) to provide counter -terrorism needs assessments and gap analysis, a function supported by Security Council -mandated bodies and in part by the capacity -building bodies in the context of the Strategy; (a) to deliver counter - terrorism capacity building and technical assistance, which is conducted mainly through General Assembly - mandated bodies, including the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, the United Nations 17-05341 3/58 A/71/858 Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN -Women); and (c) to ensure coordination and coherence of counter -terrorism efforts, which is done by the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office within the Department of Political Affairs. 2 11. The counter -terrorism responsibilities outlined by the various mandates of these bodies sometimes overlap. For example, some Security Council bodies, while facilitating counter -terrorism capacity -building initiatives in accordance with their mandates, end up playing an organizing and substantive role in the implementation of those initiatives. General Assembly -mandated bodies, on occasion, conduct partial assessments to identify challenges and opportunities. There are also thematic overlaps, given that a number of different entities are mandated to address s imilar counter -terrorism themes, even if from different angles. Such overlaps on, for example, the need to respect human rights while countering terrorism, preventing radicalization, victims of terrorism issues and border security and management complicate the coordination of United Nations efforts. 12. The Secretary -General established the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force in 2005 to strengthen counter - terrorism coordination and coherence. The General Assembly, in its resolution 60/288 on the United Nations Counter - Terrorism existing resources, the Task Force within the Secretariat, which he did in the Executive Office of the Secretary -General. In 2009, the Assembly, in its resolution 64/235, requested the Secretary -General to provide the resources necessary to finalize the institutionalization of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force. Subsequently, the Secretary -General placed the Task Force Office in the Department of Political Affairs in December 2009. __________________ 2 See www.un.org/undpa/en/issues - terrorism. 17-05341 4/58 A/71/858 Figure II Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force (38 United Nations and non - United Nations entities) Agencies, funds and programmes Non-United Nations Secretariat Sexual violence in conflict Special Adviser on PoG Special Rapporteur on HR & CT DPA IAEA ICAO IMF IMO INTERPOL OPCW UNDP UNESCO UNICRI DPI DPKO DSS EOSG ODA OHCHR CTITF (38 Entities) OICT OLA OSAA RoL Unit CTITF Office UNCCT UN-Women UNTWO WCO WHO UNODC Youth Envoy CTED 1540 Committee EG World Bank IOM Observers OCHA UNAOC Monitoring Team DESA UNHCR Security Council Abbreviations : 1540 Committee EG, Expert Group of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004); CTED, Counter - Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate; CTITF, Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force; DESA, Department of Economic and Social Affairs; DPA, Department of Political Affairs; DPI, Department of Public Information; DPKO, Department of Peacekeeping Operations; DSS, Department of Safety and Security; EOSG, Executive Office of the Secretary - General; IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency; ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization; IMF, International Monetary Fund; IMO, International Maritime Organization; INTERPOL, International Criminal Police Organization; IOM, International Organization for Migration; Monitoring Team, Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1526 (2004) and 2253 (2015); OCHA, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; ODA, Office for Disarmament Affairs; OHCHR, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; OICT, Office of Information and Communications Technology; OLA, Office of Legal Affairs; OPCW, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; OSAA, Office of the Special Adviser on Africa; PoG, prevention of genocide; RoL Unit, Rule of Law Assistance Unit; Sexual violence in conflict, Special Representative of the Secretary - General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; Special Rapporteur on HR & CT, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; UNAOC, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations; UNCCT, United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre; UNDP, United Nations Development Programme; UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; UNHCR, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; UNICRI, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute; UNODC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; UN - Women, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women; UNWTO, World Tourism Organization; WCO, World Customs Organization; WHO, World Health Organization; Youth Envoy, Envoy of the Secretary - General on Youth. 13. The Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force has grown in scale from 22 entities in 2005 to 36 United Nations entities, including General Assembly and 17-05341 5/58 A/71/858 Security Council - mandated bodies, departments, offices, units, agencies, funds and programmes, and 2 non -United Nations entities, namely, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the World Customs Organization, at present. Recent additions include UN -Women, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Envoy of the Secretary -General on Youth (see figure II). The Under -Secretary -General for Political Affairs, who concurrently serves as Executive Director of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre, chairs the Task Force. 14. The 2009 institutionalization of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force through regular budget resources provided it with a small dedicated institutional capacity in the form of the Task Force Office within the Department of Political Affairs. Core functions of the Office include ensuring coordination and coherence in the overall counter -terrorism efforts of the United Nations system; providing leadership for United Nations system -wide collective initiatives to support the implementation of the Strategy; facilitating and supporting initiatives and activities of the United Nations system entities in areas of their relevant mandates and expertise for assisting in the implementation of the Strategy in its entirety; carrying out core secretariat functions for the substantive, outreach, organizational and administrative conduct of the work of the Task Force; and engaging with Member States, international and regional organizations, as well as with academic and civil society organizations, to further the implementation of the Strategy. 15. In 2006, all States Members of the United Nations acknowledged that creating an international centre to combat terrorism could be considered part of the international efforts to counter terrorism, as stipulated in the Strategy. In 2011, the General Assembly, by its resolution 66/10, noted with appreciation the contribution made by Saudi Arabia and welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre within the Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office. The Centre contributes to the balanced implementation of all four pillars of the Strategy through its five -year work programme and its active participation in the 12 working groups of the Task Force. The Centre's Advisory Board, appointed by the Secretary -General for a three -year term (currently in its second term, which ends in April 2018), is chaired by Saudi Arabia and brings together 21 geographically diverse Member States and the European Union (guest member) to support and guide its work. 3 The Advisory Board meets quarterly. The terms of reference of the Advisory Board are contained in annex II to this report. C. United Nations capabilities: counter -terrorism needs assessments and gap analysis 16. Three Security Council subsidiary bodies directly address terrorist threats and provide assessments and gap analysis. The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), Al - Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, is supported by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. The mandate of the Monitoring Team, described in paragraphs 43 and 44 of, and in the annex to, resolution 2160 (2014) and in paragraphs 88 to 95 of, and in annex I to, resolution 2253 (2015), includes, among __________________ 3 The current Advisory Board was appointed by the Secretary - General in April 2015. The terms of its members will expire on 30 April 2018. Members of the Board comprise the following: Saudi Arabia (Chair), Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, F rance, Germany, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. The European Union is a guest member. 17-05341 6/58 A/71/858 other things, the following: submitting reports to the Committee; providing assistance to the Committee in the consideration of listing proposals and reviewing names on the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al -Qaida Sanctions List and to the Ombudsperson in carrying out his or her mandate; gathering information on behalf of the Committee; pursuing case studies; making recommendations to assist Member States; facilitating information -sharing; consulting with Member States, United Nations entities and relevant actors; and working with INTERPOL and Member States in the issuance of INTERPOL -United Nations Security Council Special Notices. 17. The Counter -Terrorism Committee, established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), is assisted by the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. The Directorate plays a central role in the United Nations system as monitor, facilitator and promoter of the implementation by Member States of the relevant Security Council resolutions on counter - terrorism, notably through assessments of States' counter -terrorism capacities and identification of implementation gaps, trends and challenges. Given the sensitive information contained in these reports, the Directorate can share its assessments, policy documents and analytical reports only with relevant entities if approved by the Committee. The General Assembly -mandated bodies do not have regular access to these reports for their capacity -building work. 18. The third relevant Security Council subsidiary body is the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), supported by an Expert Group. Resolution 1540 (2004) asks States to refrain from providing any form of support to non -State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery, in particular for terrorist purposes. The 1540 Committee and its Expert Group monitor the implementation of that resolution and play a clearinghouse role to facilitate assistance to Member States for the implementation of the resolution. 19. The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Expert Group of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) are part of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force. Close cooperation between those Security Council and General Assembly bodies leverages support for efforts by Member States to implement the Strategy and the international legal framework against terrorism. D. United Nations capabilities: counter -terrorism capacity-building assistance 20. Since the fifth review of the Strategy, the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force has increasingly sought to strengthen coordination and coherence in the delivery of United Nations counter -terrorism assistance through an All -of-United Nations approach. Main United Nations counter -terrorism entities and other Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities 21. Among the 38 entities that are part of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force, some can be considered the main United Nations counter - terrorism bodies, with mandates specifically focused on addressing this threat. In addition to the three Security Council bodies described above, the main providers of counter terrorism capacity -building assistance are the United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre, the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. Other Task Force entities 17-05341 7/58 A/71/858 provide assistance on counter -terrorism and preventing violent extremism within their broader mandates. 22. The United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre is becoming a major capacity building arm of the United Nations and has received contributions totalling $132 million from more than 20 contributors over the past five years. The main contributor is Saudi Arabia, which provided $110 million through two generous contributions. The Centre presents quarterly and annual reports to its Advisory Board and briefs its members on a quarterly basis. In 2014, the Secretary -General, in consultation with the Advisory Board, established six key priorities contained in a vision statement for the work of the Centre: (a) To become a centre of excellence with subject matter experts on issues relating to counter -terrorism that are not covered by other parts of the United Nations system; (b) To provide capacity -building assistance to Member States and regional organizations to support the implementation of all four pillars of the Strategy in a balanced manner; (c) To take a strategic approach to capacity -building in the utilization of the resources to make a difference in the short, medium and long term; (d) To support United Nations country teams, special political missions and peacekeeping operations with expertise to ensure that counter -terrorism is mainstreamed into their work, in full compliance with the relevant mandates and the requests of Member States; (e) To incentivize counter -terrorism efforts by jointly funding capacity building projects, seeking co -funding from other donors wherever possible; (f) To ensure effective programme and project management. 23. To realize those priorities, the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre launched a five -year programme in 2016. The programme ensures that the activities of the Centre do not overlap with those of other Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities, but rather leverage expertise through joint efforts. The Centre identified four broad outcomes relating to each of the four pillars of the Strategy and 12 specific outputs relating to the Centre's focus areas. 24. Those 12 outputs are the following: preventing violent extremism and foreign terrorist fighters (relating to pillar I); counter - terrorism strategies, countering the financing of terrorism, border security and management and cyber -security (relating to pillar II); Integrated Assistance for Countering Terrorism initiative, countering terrorism as an All -of-United Nations approach, building networks and supporting different modalities of cooperation (relating to pillar III); and human rights and victims (relating to pillar IV). 25. UNODC, through its Terrorism Prevention Branch and field offices, promotes the ratification of the international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism and supports Member States with their implementation. It provides legal assis tance for the review and drafting of national counter - terrorism legislation and builds the capacity of criminal justice systems to effectively respond to terrorism. Annually, the Branch assists an average of 70 countries. Since 2003, it has contributed to 688 additional ratifications of the international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism and to the revision or drafting of 156 pieces of legislation. More than 26,000 criminal justice officials received enhanced knowledge and expertise in terrorism prevention issues. UNODC operates in more than 150 countries through its network of regional and country offices. Terrorism prevention experts and mentors are based in more than 20 UNODC field offices covering South Asia, 8/58 17-05341 A/71/858 South -East Asia and the Pacific, West and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the Gulf, South -East Europe and Latin America. 26. The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute assists intergovernmental, governmental and non -governmental organizations in formulating and implementing improved policies of crime prevention and control, including counter -terrorism and preventing violent extremism. The Institute implements this mandate through research, training, field activities and information collection, exchange and dissemination in cooperation with other United Nations entities, international organizations and research partners. The Centre's current activities focus on supporting Member States in addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism (pillar I of the Strategy) and to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism (pillar IV). 27. Other Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities, such as UN -Women, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, UNESCO and OHCHR, support counter -terrorism efforts of the United Nations system by focusing on specific aspects of the response to the threat, in accordance with their broader mandates. In addition, they contribute to overall coordination and coherence of counter -terrorism efforts by participating actively in inter -agency working groups of the Task Force. 28. For example, UNDP has developed a policy approach to identify and promote durable development solutions to preventing violent extremism. In December 2016, UNDP launched a four -year global programme on preventing violent extremism for the period 2017 -2020 aimed at the global, regional, national and local levels, in line with the mandate, comparative advantages and available expertise of UNDP. To support these efforts, UNDP is mobilizing $108 million to fund the programme. 29. UNESCO action to counter violent extremism emphasizes prevention by addressing the root causes of violent extremism and contributing to the first pillar of the Strategy. UNESCO adopts an integrated, intersectoral approach in addressing the challenges faced by young people in relation to violent extremism by promoting education policies and programmes addressing the drivers of preventing viole nt extremism, media literacy, engagement with and participation by young people and World Heritage education and awareness -raising. 30. OHCHR promotes human rights and the rule of law as the fundamental basis of national, regional and international counter -terrorism policies and strategies through technical assistance and capacity -building initiatives, as well as monitoring, advocacy for and reporting on human rights -compliance in the counter -terrorism context. 31. UN -Women's global programme on preventing violent extremism comprises four components: research, policy development, response (increased access to justice and essential services for victims of sexual and gender - based violence in the context of violent extremism) and participation (increasing wom en's participation in counter -terrorism response and prevention efforts). Following the adoption of Security Council resolutions 2122 (2013) and 2242 (2015) and in the light of the Secretary General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, UN -Women has become an active member of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force and chairs the Task Force's new inter -agency working group on gender -sensitive approaches to preventing and countering terrorism. 17-05341 9/58 A/71/858 Overview of capacity - building assistance 32. Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities report more than 400 ongoing and recently completed projects and initiatives around the world rela ting to counter -terrorism and preventing violent extremism. United Nations support to Member States for each of the four pillars of the Strategy, which is conditioned by the specific priorities of beneficiary Member States and donors, has shifted over the years. Currently, 113 counter -terrorism projects or initiatives are at different stages of implementation under pillar I of the Strategy, 58 projects under pillar II, 113 projects under pillar III and 21 projects under pillar IV. However, components of a number of those projects cut across areas identified by different pillars. For example, many projects include components relating to gender perspective and the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law. 33. Geographically, the United Nations provides most of its capacity - building assistance on counter -terrorism and preventing violent extremism to West Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. This geographic distribution derives from the requests of Member States and the majority of these projects and initiatives fall under pillars I and III, demonstrating the importance of addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and the need to undertake the measures necessary to build the capacities of Member States t o combat and prevent terrorism. Owing to a number of emerging terrorism threats, such as the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, and the relevance of topics such as border management, countering the financing of terrorism, the protection of critical infrastructure, including the Internet, preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and increasing the information -sharing capacities of Member States, projects under pillar II of the Strategy have been steadily increasing. 34. Activities implemented under each of the pillars of the Strategy are extremely varied and include specialized training courses, workshops and conferences; the development of manuals, guides and handbooks; the exchange of good practices; and the delivery of tailored assistance on counter -terrorism and preventing violent extremism to develop, for example, relevant strategies, plans of action and laws. 35. Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities have also developed a number of virtual counter -terrorism networks and platforms to strengthen international cooperation, including UNODC's Regional Judicial Platform of the Sahel countries and the network against terrorism and list of counter - terrorism advisers of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre. 4 Additional information summarizing important projects, programmes and activities on counter - terrorism and preventing violent extremism currently being implemented by the United Nations is available online. 5 Increasing scale of United Nations counter -terrorism capacity - building assistance 36. The present overview of the counter -terrorism capacity -building work of the United Nations since the adoption of the Strategy more than 10 years ago shows a significant increase in the scale of requests by Member States to United Nations entities for counter -terrorism - related assistance at the national, regional and global __________________ 4 5 The list of counter - terrorism advisers comprises 81 experts originating from 29 countries who are able to carry out urgent and short - term capacity - building activities in the field in areas such as developing and implementing national and regional counter - terrorism strategies and action; countering radicalization; protecting critical infrastructure and vulnerable targets; and psychological counselling and the rehabilitation of victims of terrorism. See www.un.org/counterterrorism/ctitf/sites/www.un.org.counterterrorism.ctitf/files/ sg_report20171104.pdf. 17-05341 10/58 A/71/858 levels. In response to that increase, the number and scope of mandates of Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities have expanded and new entities responsible for responding to those requests have emerged. An example of that increase in scale is the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre, whose programming is funded through extrabudgetary resources, and has grown from an annual budget of approximately $2.2 million in 2013 to a projected annual budget of $20 million in 2018 (including project and staffing costs). The growing number of counter -terrorism - related resolutions and presidential statements adopted by the Security Council and General Assembly that assign new responsibilities to Task Force entities, the expanded membership of the Task Force and the marked increase in new topics or new aspects of more traditional topics that are being addressed also demonstrate that trend. Case in point: preventing violent extremism under pillars I and IV of the Strategy 37. In 2016, the General Assembly, by its resolution 70/291, assigned additional responsibilities to the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force. In that resolution, the Assembly recognized the importance of preventing violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, recommending that Member States consider the implementation of relevant recommendations of the Plan of Action, as applicable to the national context, and encouraged United Nations entities, in line with their mandates, to implement relevant recommendations of the Plan of Action, including by providing technical assistance to Member States at their req uest. It also invited Member States and regional and subregional organizations to consider developing national and regional plans of action to prevent violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, in accordance with their priorities and taking into account, as appropriate, the Plan of Action, as well as other relevant documents. 38. As a result, the Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force now plays a central role in coordinating various preventing violent extremism activities of United Nations entities in the context of pillars I and IV of the Strategy. The Task Force Office Co - Chairs, together with UNESCO and the Task Force's Working Group on Preventing Violent Extremism, also act as secretariat to the Secretary General's high - level preventing violent extremism action group, which is spearheading the development of the All - of- United Nations approach to preventing violent extremism. The Working Group has consulted widely and developed six concrete deliverables: (a) A mapping of United Nations activities in a matrix of projects on preventing violent extremism at the global, regional and national levels across all priority areas of the Plan of Action; (b) A list of United Nations focal points on preventing violent extremism at relevant United Nations entities to increase information -sharing and cooperation among the Task Force entities working on the issue. (c) Best practices, lessons learned and experiences in a common repository on preventing violent extremism; (d) A global resource group on preventing violent extremism consisting of international experts from around the world; (e) A common, strategic and systemic approach to resource mobilization on preventing violent extremism; (f) The organization of a Task Force inter -agency expert retreat on the development of national and regional action plans on preventing violent extremism, 17-05341 11/58 A/71/858 based on General Assembly resolution 70/291. The retreat was held on 22 and 23 February 2017 in Manhasset, United States of America. 6 E. United Nations capabilities: ensuring coordination and coherence in the delivery of counter-terrorism assistance 39. The growing number of capacity -building activities relating to counter terrorism and preventing violent extremism that Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities implement require stronger coordination and coherence of United Nations efforts. The Task Force, since its establishment, has continuously enhanced its coordination and coherence mandate efforts in three ways: by coordinating counter -terrorism policymaking and contributing to the norm - setting efforts of the United Nations; by increasingly coordinating United Nations counter terrorism capacity -building in support of efforts by Member States to counter terrorism; and by striving to coordinate counter - terrorism efforts at the regional and national levels to ensure the maximum impact on the gr ound. Methodology: an All -of -United Nations approach 40. The Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force takes an All -of-United Nations approach to its coordination and coherence mandate. The development of a Task Force implementation plan of capacity - building projects to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, as recommended by the Security Council (see S/PRST/2015/11), demonstrates the benefits of this approach. To ensure inclusivity, the plan was developed taking a "bottom - up" approach. Task Force entities submitted projects, organized by the Task Force around the entire "life cycle" of the threat. The Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate assessed the criticality of each project and an ad hoc Task Force inter -agency working group consisting of all Task Force entities endorsed the plan, with 37 mutually reinforcing projects. Doing so allowed the Task Force to identify crucial areas that could be addressed through joint capacity -building projects rather than individually by each entity. One such project is on raising awareness and building capacity on advance passenger information, which is being implemented jointly by the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre, the Directorate, the International Organization for Migration, the International Civil Aviation Organization, INTERPOL and the International Air Transport Association. Notwithstanding the call by the Security Council upon Member States to contribute financial resources to the plan, funding has been limited to date. The Centre has committed $9.5 million to implement projects under the plan and other donors have committed $18.6 million, resulting in total funding of approximately 23 per cent. Notwithstanding the development of a well - coordinated plan to address a threat that the Council has ide ntified as a priority, outreach activities remain necessary to step up the response of Member States to an urgent global challenge. Process of coordination and coherence 41. The Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force has developed a coordination framework across the four pillars of the work of the United Nations, especially through 12 Task Force inter -agency working groups on priority areas of __________________ 6 The retreat brought together 86 senior experts, mainly from Task Force ent ities, representatives of Member States, researchers and experts from think tanks and civil society organizations and Resident Coordinators from relevant countries to discuss challenges and exchange best practices and lessons learned relating to overarching, procedural and substantive principles that could guide the development of national and regional preventing violent extremism action plans. 17-05341 12/58 A/71/858 the Strategy, for example, on foreign terrorist fighters, border security, protection of critical infrastructure, countering the financing of terrorism, preventing violent extremism and human rights. In 2016, the working groups identified a number of challenges and topics to be addressed, resulting in the creation of two new working groups: one on gender and one on communications. 42. In addition to its other responsibilities, the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office serves as the secretariat of the Task Force working groups. Its annual strategic inter -agency meeting and quarterly briefings to Member States and Task Force entities strengthen coordination and coherence. The Office coordinates the contributions to the biennial reports of the Secretary - General on the implementation of the Strategy and relevant reports mandated to the Secretary General by the Security Council, for example, reports pursuant to a statement by the President of the Security Council dated 13 May 2013 ( S/PRST/2013/5) and resolutions 2195 (2014), 2253 (2015), and 2292 (2016). 43. The Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office, as part of the Department of Political Affairs, also provides political assessments on counter terrorism matters to the Secretary -General, ensuring coherence of institutional messaging, helping to establish geographic and thematic counter -terrorism priorities and raising awareness of key developments and trends. Content of coordination and coherence 44. Under the All -of-United Nations approach, the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office ensures coordination and coherence through the joint design, development and implementation of relevant projects of the Task Force working groups and through the mapping and sharing of information in matrices that compile the activities and projects being carried out by Task Force entities. 45. A useful example of the All -of-United Nations approach promoted by the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force is the Integrated Assistance for Countering Terrorism initiative to coordinate United Nations support to Member States, at their request, at the regional and national levels. The initiative helps to ensure a holistic approach to capacity -building through the preparation of an integrated framework for capacity -building on counter -terrorism and preventing violent extremism. The initiative draws upon and complements the work of Task Force entities without replacing or duplicating their efforts. It aims to catalyse the application of existing capacities and resources within the United Nations. The initiative has led to the strong political engagement of partner countries and regional organizations. In addition, through the initiative, Task Force entities have carefully worked with beneficiary countries, regional organizations, donors and United Nations field presences, such as the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, to harmonize priorities, coordinate approaches and deliver results. F. Strengthening cooperation with other international and regional organizations 46. In addition to strengthening coordination within the United Nations system, the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force works to develop a collaboration with other multilateral organizations, as requested by the General Assembly. Member States, in Assembly resolution 70/291, reaffirmed the need to promote international, regional and subregional cooperation and wider dissemination of knowledge of the Strategy in order to counter terrorism. International and regional organizations dedicated to combating terrorism are crucial partners in our common 17-05341 13/58 A/71/858 efforts. Those organizations have different mandates and ways of assisting Member States, which helps to implement the Strategy from alternative viewpoints. Regional and subregional organizations are very much attuned to the local context and a valuable asset in effectively tailoring any counter -terrorism strategy or assistance. Partnering with regional organizations helps in multiplying and sustaining the impact of United Nations counter -terrorism assistance. 47. Over the past year, United Nations entities, in accordance with their mandates, have increasingly worked with international, regional and other organizations to address terrorism and violent extremism. At the strategic and political levels, t he United Nations is working closely with organizations such as the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Union, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in identifying priority thematic and geographic areas to support Member States. 48. At the operational and technical levels, Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities partner with organizations such as the African Union and its African Centre for Studies and Research on Terrorism, ASEAN, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Economic Community of West African States, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, the Organization of American States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Southern African Development Community in developing capacity -building projects, for example, in areas such as developing regional counter -terrorism strategies, addressing the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon, countering the financing of terrorism and kidnapping for ransom, and strengthening border controls. In this context, Task Force entities also collaborate with other multilateral bodies, such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the Financial Action Task Force and numerous civil society organizations. 49. In order to strengthen collaboration among national, regional and international counter -terrorism centres, including the sharing of information, the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre has developed a network against terrorism, currently composed of 32 national, regional and global counter -terrorism centres as members. To date, the network has assisted in the identification of 17 new areas for further collaboration. The members of the network participate in the biennial network against terrorism conferences to exchange information and develop partnerships. Between conferences, network members collaborate through a dedicated and secure web portal. 50. The multiplicity of United Nations entities, engaging at various levels with international and regional organizations on counter -terrorism matters, at times presents challenges of coordination. A more coherent and focused strategic vision on United Nations efforts regarding counter -terrorism and preventing violent extremism could help to overcome these challenges through effective leadership and strengthening existing partnerships with these organizations, while developing new ones. G. Resource mobilization 51. Notwithstanding the increasing attention that Member States place on addressing terrorism and violent extremism, more has to be done to mobilize financial and technical resources to support United Nations counter -terrorism efforts. 14/58 17-05341 A/71/858 52. Stronger inter -agency coordination and coherence and a lasting and sustainable impact of United Nations assistance are predicated on the extent of support provided by Member States. This is particularly urgent at a time when an increasing number of Member States are turning to the United Nation s for assistance. Providing reliable and predictable technical support to Member States is a serious challenge, especially for United Nations entities whose share of regular budget resources is modest. Stronger leadership and coordinated All -of-United Nations fundraising efforts are required to encourage better collaboration and reassure contributors that there is limited duplication and overlap. 53. It should be recognized that the actual financial and technical resources available to United Nations entities to support the implementation by Member States of the Strategy are modest, compared with the resources mobilized by Member States at the national and bilateral levels. For example, the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre's annual budget for capacity -building projects around the world will amount to approximately $15 million annually by 2018. The Centre has endeavoured to leverage resource mobilization through the co -funding of capacity building projects. In addition to the contributions of Saudi Arab ia, for a total of $110 million, since 2011 more than 20 other Member States have contributed to projects of the Centre. This diversification of funding sources for the Centre and other United Nations entities counter -terrorism projects remains an important strategic priority. 54. UNODC, which provides another example, benefits from the support of nearly 20 donors annually. Voluntary contributions to UNODC's technical assistance projects directly focusing on preventing and countering terrorism amount to approximately $25 million annually, out of which some $15 million are implemented by its Terrorism Prevention Branch. Additional funding is also provided annually by donors to sustain broader technical assistance projects that include counter - terrorism -related components, such as the Airport Communication Project and the education for justice initiative. 55. For its part, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute currently supports Member States with 11 capacity -building projects, 7 of which are focused exclusively on specific aspects of counter -terrorism and 4 of which are more comprehensive. The total budget of the Institute's counter -terrorism programme portfolio is approximately $19 million, with an estimated budget of $11.6 million for the biennium 2016 - 2017. The Institute currently benefits from the support of five countries and foundations for its counter -terrorism programme. 56. Presenting a comprehensive and coherent overview of existing financial resources for United Nations counter - terrorism assistance and engaging with Member States at a senior level in this regard would raise awareness of the need for increased support. In addition, I encourage Member States to support these efforts so that the United Nations can better respond to the growing demands of Member States for capacity - building assistance. H. Challenges 57. The role of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force has been crucial in the progress made over the past decade to strengthen United Nations c oordination and coherence efforts, promote a balanced implementation of the Strategy and deliver capacity -building assistance. Nevertheless, given the evolving nature of the threat, the United Nations needs to adapt its action and continuously improve its counter -terrorism efforts. Moreover, a number of practical challenges remain that affect the efficiency of its work. 17-05341 15/58 A/71/858 58. Over the past 10 years, the requests of Member States for United Nations assistance to confront the increasingly transnational and mul tidimensional terrorist threat at the global, regional and national levels have increased exponentially. The number and scope of counter -terrorism mandates given to United Nations entities, the need to articulate well -coordinated actions and the resources required to deliver capacity -building work with real impact on the ground have likewise grown exponentially over the same period. 59. The complexity and reach of the threat, which today affects all core areas of the work of the United Nations, has also expanded. This calls for greater synergies between United Nations Headquarters and field presences to ensure impact on the ground. Furthermore, as demonstrated by the emphasis placed by Member States on the need to address preventing violent extremism in the context of pillars I and IV of the Strategy, a comprehensive, strategic and long -term response to terrorism is fundamental. 60. The evolution of the terrorism and counter -terrorism landscape has not been accompanied by the institutional changes necessary to provide strong and dedicated United Nations counter -terrorism leadership. The Chair of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force has to reconcile heavy counter -terrorism responsibilities with those that he performs as the Head of the Department o f Political Affairs. The multiple functions assigned to the Under -Secretary -General for Political Affairs limits the amount of time available for undertaking counter -terrorism functions, including a more frequent and in - depth engagement on counter -terrorism issues with senior officials of the United Nations system, as well as with Member States and other international and regional organizations. 61. The achievement of a sound United Nations counter -terrorism architecture should ultimately be aimed at streamlining working methods to make the delivery of assistance to Member States more effective and impactful. In this context, the absence of a full -time senior United Nations counter -terrorism official has prevented a consistent institutionalization of the All -of-United Nations approach to supporting efforts by Member States to counter terrorism and a stronger ability to mobilize resources and coordinate fundraising efforts at a time when donors have reduced their contributions owing to competing needs. Those factors also impinge upon the potential of the United Nations to support more effectively the implementation of the Strategy, enhance international cooperation and, ultimately, have a stronger impact in countering and preventing terrorism and violent extremism. III. Suggestions for strengthening the capability of the United Nations system: a new office of counter-terrorism 62. Notwithstanding progress made to strengthen the coordination and coherence of United Nations support to Member States to implement the Strategy, more can be done. In my informal briefing discussion with the General Assembly on 22 February 2017, I had suggested to move the current Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office and the United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre, together with their existing staff, as well as all associated regular and extrabudgetary resources out of the Department of Political Affairs, into a new office of counter -terrorism to be headed by an Under -Secretary -General. The new Under -Secretary -General would serve as the Chair of the Task Force and Executive Director of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre. 63. The new Under -Secretary -General would provide strategic leadership to United Nations counter -terrorism efforts, participate in the decision - making process 16/58 17-05341 A/71/858 of the United Nations and ensure that the cross -cutting origins and impact of terrorism are reflected in the work of the United Nations. 64. The office would have five main functions: (a) provide leadership on the General Assembly counter -terrorism mandates entrusted to me from across the United Nations system; (b) enhance coordination and coherence across the 38 Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities to ensure the balanced implementation of the four pillars of the Strategy; (c) strengthen the delivery of United Nations counter -terrorism capacity -building assistance to Member States; (d) improve visibility, advocacy and resource mobilization for United Nations counter -terrorism efforts; and (e) ensure that due priority is given to counter terrorism across the United Nations system and that the important work on preventing violent extremism is firmly rooted in the Strategy. 65. The office would also aim to have a close relationship with Security Council bodies and Member States, strengthening existing and developing new partnerships through regular travel and attendance at counter - terrorism - related meetings. 66. This new office would respect the established competencies and mandates of General Assembly and Security Council bodies. The office would not have any oversight over Security Council subsidiary bodies and would report through me to the General Assembly. 67. The office would also fully respect the principles of national sovereignty and non -interference. It would have no competence to monitor, supervise or interfere with efforts by Member States to implement the Strategy and the rest of the international legal framework against terrorism. Any activities of the new office would be in support of and at the request of Member States, which have the primary responsibility to implement the Strategy. The aim of the office would be to reinforce the partnership with Member States on countering the transnational threat of terrorism. 68. The current positions in the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office and the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre would be moved to the new office of counter - terrorism. While the existing Task Force -Centre staffing is funded in part by regular budget resources, most positions are financed from extrabudgetary resources. The existing contribution agreements and the functions and composition of the Centre's Advisory Board would be maintained. A total of 6 current posts are funded from regular budget resources, while 29 positions, including the D -1 post of Deputy Director, and a Junior Professional Officer are funded from extrabudgetary resources. The establishment of the new post of Under Secretary -General and a new P - 3 post of Special Assistant to the Under -Secretary General would be funded from the regular budget. The terms of reference of the new post of Under - Secretary -General will ensure that he/she is a highly qualified and experienced individual, with an acute knowledge of the strategic context of counter terrorism, including preventing violent extremism. IV. Action by the General Assembly 69. The General Assembly may wish to: (a) Approve the establishment of one post of Under -Secretary -General and one P - 3 post of Special Assistant; (b) Approve the establishment, separately from the Department of Political Affairs, of an office of counter -terrorism under section 3 of the programme budget 17-05341 17/58 A/71/858 for the biennium 2016 -2017, headed by the new Under - Secretary -General reporting directly to the Secretary -General; (c) Approve the transfer and consolidation of the current Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office and the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre, including their existing programme budget and extrabudgetary resources, under the office of counter -terrorism. Member State views and suggestions 70. On 22 February 2017, the President of the General Assembly convened an informal meeting of the Assembly to allow me to consult with Member States on the strengthening of the capability of the United Nations system, as requested in paragraph 70 of resolution 70/291. After I presented my suggestion to move the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office and the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre, together with their existing staff, into a new office of counter -terrorism headed by a new Under -Secretary -General, 42 delegations 7 took the floor. 71. Many Member States pledged their support for my suggestion and provided constructive feedback. Their comments focused on five key themes: (a) respect for the sovereignty of Member States and transparency in the establishment of the office of counter - terrorism; (b) ensuring impartiality and sustainability of the office over the long term; (c) the division of labour and coordination among United Nations counter -terrorism entities; (d) implementation of the preventing violent extremism provisions of resolution 70/291 and the balanced implementation of all pillars of the Strategy; and (e) improving internal United Nations counter -terrorism coordination and outreach to external bodies. 72. Subsequently, and in response to my request, 28 Member States and three organizations on behalf of their members (the European Union, League of Arab States and Organization of Islamic Cooperation) 8 provided written submissions, which are contained in annex I to this report. 73. A vast majority of Member States expressed their support for my suggestion to create a new office of counter -terrorism headed by an Under -Secretary -General. In terms of how this reform will be implemented, a large number of Member States stressed the need to ensure transparency and inclusivity, as well as respect for the principles of national sovereignty and non -interference. Member States also offered valuable suggestions in regard to the structure, staffing and mandate of the office, the terms of reference of the new Under -Secretary -General position that would head __________________ 7 8 Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia (on behalf of Australia, Canada and New Zealand), Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Egypt, France, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, the Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sau di Arabia (in a national capacity and on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation), Switzerland, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Uruguay and Venezue la, as well as the European Union. The 28 Member States comprise the following: Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, France, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, the Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ukraine and the United States of America. The three organizations are the following: the European Union, the League of Arab States (represented by Oman) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (represented by Saudi Arabia). 17-05341 18/58 A/71/858 the office and the way in which the United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre should continue to be organized and deliver its mandate, among other related points. 74. A number of Member States noted that the new office should not de - link counter -terrorism from its political context and that close coordination mec hanisms with the Department of Political Affairs should therefore be maintained. 75. Most Member States stressed the need to ensure that such a reform would contribute to the balanced implementation of all four pillars of the Strategy and to strengthening coordination and coherence of the counter -terrorism efforts of the United Nations. In this context, a majority of Member States emphasized the need to ensure that preventing violent extremism remained an integral part of the mandate of the office, within the framework of the Strategy. 76. In terms of the resources of the new office, a number of Member States indicated the need to ensure financial sustainability and predictability in order to strengthen the capabilities of the United Nations to provide ass istance to Member States, at their request. A group of countries noted that extrabudgetary contributions should be limited to the provision of technical assistance. 77. I would like to express my appreciation for the support that Member States have expressed regarding my proposal and for their constructive comments, of which I have taken note. I look forward to keeping an open, inclusive and transparent engagement with all Member States in the coming weeks to foster a consensus agreement for the strengthening of the counter -terrorism architecture of the United Nations. 78. This proposal represents the first major institutional reform of the United Nations since I became Secretary -General. As I stated in the informal meeting of the General Assembly on 22 February, this effort is rooted in the urgency to address a clear and present danger to international peace and security and the need to build a new partnership with Member States on countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism. I wish to reaffirm my full commitment to working with Member States in a transparent and inclusive manner to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of the counter -terrorism efforts of the United Nations. 17-05341 19/58 A/71/858 Annex I Written replies from Member States for inclusion in the report of the Secretary-General on the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy Afghanistan 1. The Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations welcomes the initiative of the Secretary -General to create an office of counter - terrorism, headed by an Under -Secretary -General, to lead the overall efforts of the United Nations to combat international terrorism with more efficiency and effectiveness. We consider this initiative to be a timely decision, in the light of the current security environment worldwide, in which the terrorist threat continues to grow rapidly. As the Office of the Secretary -General is now in the process of gathering additional input from Member States on the mandate of the proposed office, we wish to provide the following recommendations. 2. First: we believe the creation of the office and the appointment of an Under Secretary -General to lead it would help provide for a clear and direct line of address for States as they carry out their national efforts to adequately combat terrorism in all its aspects. The creation of the office and the appointment of an Under Secretary -General to lead its work would help to speed up and streamline decision making processes. 3. Second: we need to make sure that we have the right person in the right place. There is a need for tailor - made terms of reference for this position. We believe that the person assuming the position of Under -Secretary -General needs to be someone with extensive experience in the area of counter -terrorism and, on that basis, to come from a country that has been proactively engaged in combating this threat over an extensive period of time. 4. Third: we concur with the view that enhancing the United Nations counter terrorism capacity -building role for Member States should be a key element in the mandate of the proposed office. In this respect, the Under -Secretary -General should work, in close coordination with the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), to assess and provide requisite technical assistance to States for the fulfilment of their counter -terrorism obligations. 5. Fourth: we believe the activities of the new office should be guided by a clear commitment to ensure a "balanced and consistent implementation" across all four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy -- consistent with the broad consensus on this issue among the membership of the Organization. In our assessment, progress in meeting the goals of the Global Strategy has, thus far, lacked proper consistency in relation to each of the four pillars. 6. Preventing and combating terrorism constitutes a core element of the Global Strategy, within which States are called on to "ensure full cooperation in the fight against terrorism, in accordance with obligations under international law, in order to find, deny safe -haven and bring to justice ... any person who supports, facilitates, participates or attempts to participate in the financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist attacks." 20/58 17-05341 A/71/858 7. In this respect, it is hoped that the activities of the proposed office will also focus on ensuring effective action on the part of States to meet their obligations, in adherence to the spirit and tenets of the Charter of the United Nations. 8. Fifth: the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism has significant value in the context of the United Nations overall counter - terrorism architecture. It seeks to address some of the internal sources of violence and extremism in various settings. That said, we are pleased to note that due consideration is being given to the incorporation of the prevention of violent extremism agenda in the activities of the office. We also stress the importance of national ownership regarding the implementation of goals on the prevention of violent extremism by Member States, within the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. 9. Sixth: we believe the proposed office should seek to ensure greater synergy, coordination and coherence among various United Nations counter -terrorism bodies and agencies, as well as effective implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions and international counter -terrorism conventions. 10. The Government of Afghanistan reiterates its full support for the initiative of the Secretary -General to create an office on counter - terrorism, headed by an Under Secretary -General, and looks forward to continuing our dialogue and cooperation with the Office of the Secretary -General during the next steps forward in the operationalization of the said office. Australia 1. The proposal outlined by the Secretary -General on 22 February 2017 during the informal meeting of the General Assembly is one which has Australia's full backing and support. 2. Australia agrees that the mandate for the Under -Secretary -General position, and the newly created office, should be firmly rooted in ensuring the balanced implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, including the prevention of violent extremism. The new office might be referred to as the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy Implementation Office and should include a dedicated team on the prevention of violent extremism. 3. Australia sees the role of any new office as one dedicated to: (a) The delivery of enhanced counter -terrorism and prevention of violent extremism capacity - building assistance to Member States; (b) Ensuring better strategic coordination both within the United Nations and with key external actors, such as the Global Counter -Terrorism Forum; (c) Ensuring a high -level authoritative public United Nations voice on counter -terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism. 4. United Nations standards of human rights and respect for international law must continue to guide its counter -terrorism efforts and must be applied to the mandate of the new office. 5. Australia expects that any new Under -Secretary -General role would be filled by a senior, highly qualified and credible individual in this field. 6. Forward budget planning should be undertaken to ensure the long - term sustainability of the office. 17-05341 21/58 A/71/858 7. Australia would support adoption of a General Assembly resolution as the mechanism to confirm the establishment of any new office and Under - Secretary General position. Canada 1. The Government of Canada welcomes the initiative of the Secretary -General in swiftly moving forward towards implementation of paragraph 70 of General Assembly resolution 70/291 concerning the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. 2. The Government of Canada strongly supports efforts to modernize and improve the United Nations counter -terrorism architecture. We welcome the consultative approach adopted by the Secretary - General and encourage continued transparency and collaboration throughout this process. 3. Canada supports the proposal of the Secretary -General to establish a dedicated office of counter - terrorism. We agree that there is a need for increased coordination of the Organization's counter -terrorism efforts and enhanced coherence of United Nations efforts with those of other international bodies. 4. Canada considers it important that the United Nations has a strong champion who can advocate for and ensure the implementation of all four pillars of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy in a balanced and coordinated fashion. 5. In this regard, Canada emphasizes the need to rebalance inter national efforts, including those of the United Nations, in order to ensure enhanced efforts on the prevention of violent extremism and the promotion of human rights. As was established in the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, international effo rts to date have been heavily focused on pillars II and Ill of the Global Strategy. Ensuring a renewed emphasis on pillars I and IV should be a core task of the new coordinator. 6. To this end it will be essential that the coordinator have credibility acro ss all pillars and with the broad range of actors involved in international efforts to prevent violent extremism, counter violent extremism and counter terrorism. The coordinator must have the qualifications to work in close collaboration with partners and stakeholders from all sectors, including civil society (including women, youth and children), development, social policy, human rights, law enforcement, justice and the military -- garnering confidence and trust as effectively with civil society as with security sector actors. 7. As a major donor to United Nations capacity -building efforts, Canada also agrees that there is a need to bring about more coherence and streamlining in the capacity -building efforts of the Organization's various agencies in order t o reduce duplication and ensure that each agency can focus on its areas of relative strength. The coordinator should also ensure that the counter -terrorism programmes of United Nations agencies are rigorously assessed, evaluated and measured for impact so as to ensure that the desired objectives are being achieved (working with appropriate partners in the most cost -effective and efficient way possible). Much of the infrastructure needed for this to happen already exists, what is lacking is clear mandates, defined relationships and institutional agreements that allow one organization to leverage another's expertise in advance of common and agreed upon strategic objectives (for example, the use of the field offices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) or access to its technical expertise). 22/58 17-05341 A/71/858 8. Canada notes that the current proposal does not clearly delineate the mechanisms for functional coordination between the proposed office of counter terrorism and the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). In order to ensure that the two bodies work in a complementary fashion, Canada considers that there should be institutionalized mechanisms that ensure regular coordination. Basic degrees of coordination, such as establishing procedures for sharing Counter - Terrorism Committee (CTC)/CTED assessments with relevant United Nations entities, would go a long way towards enhancing the ability of United Nations bodies to provide targeted and tailored technical assistance to Member States in gaps identified through these assessments. 9. Canada has long advocated for reforms to the United Nations system that will bring about greater effectiveness, accountability and coordination, and that do not create new costs. As the office of counter -terrorism is established, prudent budget planning and a diversified donor base will be keys to its sustainability. 10. In addition to our written input, we have the honour to refer to the statement delivered by Ambassador Gillian Bird, Permanent Representative of Au stralia, on 22 February 2017 on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Colombia 1. Colombia, reiterating that terrorism is unacceptable and unjustifiable in all its forms and manifestations, supports the balanced implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. With this objective, countries should work together, strengthening their capacity and coordinating their efforts against this threat. 2. For each one of the four pillars presented in the Global Strategy, there are some recommendations that can be applied to start working on a better balanced implementation of this document. Measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism 3. Understand the context : before addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, Governments should understand local conditions and actors. Plans and programmes must be adapted before being adopted, to be adjusted to local conditions and challenges. 4. Promote comprehensive approaches : an individual measure to address conditions conducive to terrorism will not be enough. Measures should be part of larger and comprehensive approaches to improve the well - being of communities. These efforts must be intended to promote social and economic development, not only to stop terrorism. Social evolution can promote societies to reject violence and terror, while embracing dialogue and understanding. Measures to prevent and combat terrorism 5. Strengthen the criminal justice systems against terrorist offences : criminal justice systems must be a deterrent against terrorism. Without the support of the rule of law, measures to prevent and combat this threat will never be enough. 6. Cooperate in novel ways : cooperation between countries is almost guaranteed nowadays. However, in order to assure its effectivity and relevance, it should be innovative and include non -conventional channels, such as permanent internships, working scholarships and social networks, among others. 17-05341 23/58 A/71/858 7. Fight terrorism and crime together : terrorism and transnational organized crime are perceived as differential criminal phenomena. However, in recent years these threats have formed close links, creating a criminal alliance with the capacity to affect any State. Therefore, it is important to create interna tional awareness about this relationship and its consequences, and to develop joint responses to effectively fight this threat. To contain its operative capacity, the fight against terrorist organizations should include the fight against criminal groups, e mphasizing the action against their finances and the money obtained through criminal activities. Effective control of the international financial system and the informal value transfer system will bring about an important reduction of the financial capabil ities of terrorists, which will reduce their capacity to take action against States. 8. State control of the territory : criminal structures take advantage of non -controlled territories. To avoid this, States must control the complete territory of the countries, not only with their military presence, but also with the permanent provision of public services, education, culture and security. When a community is close to the authorities, it is harder for criminal organizations to find recruits and act against local laws. Measures to build the capacity of States to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the role of the United Nations system 9. Create an international compendium of programmes and initiatives within the United Nations system to prevent and combat terrorism : the variety of agencies responsible for the fight against terrorism within the United Nations, makes difficult the interaction with States. If all of the offered initiatives were to be compiled under one agency it might be easier to understand the workings of the programmes, articulate efforts within them and adapt them to local needs. Within the compendium, it might be possible to include initiatives designed by non -governmental organizations, the academy and civil society. It also ca n be a scenario to exchange information, experiences and good practices. 10. Use technology to bring the United Nations closer to Member States : platforms and social networks offer different alternatives to connect experts and practitioners. Videoconferences, chat rooms, e -learning spaces, among other alternatives, can strengthen the relationship between the United Nations and Member States. These tools can also facilitate the capacity -building process for States with budgetary restrictions. Measures to ensure respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism 11. Promote the respect of human rights in the military forces and law enforcement agencies : during the recruitment and formation process for military forces and law enforcement agencies it is important to highlight respect of human rights. This is not only intended to combat terrorism, but also to guarantee the rule of law in the fight against all the criminal activities that affect societi es. 12. Highlight the successes of the fight against terrorism : fighting against terrorism is a hard duty and, as such, its successes must be highlighted and celebrated. Presenting the troops and law enforcement agencies with the results achieved by other authorities, while combating terrorism, respecting human rights and the rule of law, might increase their morale and commitment in the fight against this threat. 13. Give voice to the victims : there have been cases, when fighting terrorism, where authorities have abused their power and affected the human rights of civilians. It could be useful to present these cases, giving a voice to the victims and 24/58 17-05341 A/71/858 telling their story, in order to make the military and law enforcement agents understand the impact and the responsibility they have in guaranteeing the rule of law. Cuba 1. Cuba condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever, by whomever and against whomsoever committed, including those acts in which States are directly or indirectly involved. Acts of terrorism are unjustifiable, whatever the considerations or factors that may be invoked to justify them. 2. Our country maintains its unwavering commitment to the integrated implementation of all four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy. It was therefore actively involved in the fifth biennial review of the Global Strategy held by the General Assembly in June 2016. 3. Cuba is currently considering the recent proposal of the Secretary -General for the establishment of a new structure to address terrorism, which would involve, inter alia, setting up a new office of counter -terrorism within the framework of the United Nations. 4. In this regard, Cuba wishes to place on record the following preliminary considerations: (a) We strongly support the collective efforts of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism. The United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy is a key instrument in the international campaign against this scourge. The General Assembly should continue to play a central role in that respect; (b) The new structure should focus on more effective implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, without prejudice to the central implementing role of Member States; (c) Clearly, the new structure must be based on full respect for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in international law, particularly respect for sovereign equality and non - interference and non -intervention in the internal affairs of States, and under no circumstances may it constitute a mechanism for the monitoring of States; (d) The mandates of the new structure should facilitate implementation of the United Nations Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy and its four pillars in a balanced and comprehensive manner; (e) Discussions on the establishment of the new structure must be transparent and inclusive and take place within the General Assembly. Decisions on this matter should be taken with the agreement of all Member States; (f) The Secretary -General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism is a valuable contribution that is complemented by, but can never be a substitute for, the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy; (g) The new structure should take due account of the fundamental importance of international cooperation to effectively prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. 17-05341 25/58 A/71/858 Egypt 1. Egypt supports the idea of establishing a post of Under -Secretary - General as head of the proposed office of counter - terrorism. However, accepting the establishment of this post is directly linked to agreement on its mandate. 2. The mandate of the post should include a provision to ensure that the incumbent of this post will not interfere in any form in the domestic affairs of Member States, in particular in their efforts to counter terrorism, including through monitoring or instructing, and that he/she shall respect the principle of sovereignty and shall assist Member States only upon their request. This assura nce should also be reflected explicitly in the resolution of the General Assembly establishing the post. 3. The Arab countries should be well represented in both the office of the new Under -Secretary -General and in the Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force through the regular budget. 4. It is important that the new Under -Secretary -General be included as a member of the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) to enable him/her to participate in taking decisions on issues of strategic c onsequence. 5. The structural reform of the Secretariat related to counter -terrorism should include eliminating or ending any sort of duplication or contradiction between the functions or activities being undertaken by the United Nations entities in charge of countering terrorism. France 1. The United Nations currently plays a major role in many core counter terrorism issues, including by: (a) Creating international standards through Security Council resolutions (a significant number of Security Council resolutions have thus been adopted in recent years, particularly since the rise of Daesh in 2014); (b) Conducting terrorism threat analysis, primarily led by the 1267 Committee Monitoring Team, which produces many high -quality reports; (c) Evaluating the implementation of State obligations and identifying capacity -building needs, as a result of the work of the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED); (d) Providing capacity -building support for Member States by means of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the United Nations Counter Terrorism Centre. 2. However, as the result of its exchanges with its main partners, Member States, United Nations entities, other international organizations and civil society, France has become aware that there now exists a shared perception that we can do more and, especially, that we can do better. Faced with a continually evolving t hreat of terrorism, we must adapt our response. Three core functions that are not currently fulfilled in a satisfactory fashion by the United Nations are: (a) The strategic focus necessary to develop the priorities and vision of the Secretary -General at the operational level, building on the expertise of the various entities of the United Nations system; 26/58 17-05341 A/71/858 (b) The internal coordination necessary to ensure that all entities and agencies work together; (c) The level of visibility and communication with regard to the outside world needed to strengthen the coherence of the United Nations response. 3. The proposal of the Secretary -General to establish an office of counter terrorism headed by a high - level coordinator (Under -Secretary -General) would fully satisfy current needs and demands. The reorganization proposal submitted to the General Assembly on 22 February 2017 would not only ensure that the functions identified above were better performed, but also that the prevention of terrorism and radicalization was duly taken into account by all stakeholders. 4. France thus unambiguously supports this proposal and welcomes the transparent and inclusive consultation process undertaken by the Secretary - General and his team to date. We hope that the report of the Secretary -General in response to paragraph 70 of General Assembly resolution 70/291 will be submitted to the Member States as soon as possible, ideally by the end of March 2017. We stand ready to support the efforts of the Secretary -General and the President of the General Assembly to make this reform a success. 5. A more detailed joint contribution by the States members of the European Union, with which France fully aligns itself, will be sent to the Secretariat befo re the 9 March deadline. India 1. Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is one of the gravest and most complex challenges faced by Member States, both collectively and individually, in a long time. In today's day and age, terrorist networks use modern platforms, including social media and cyberspace, and exist in parallel worlds alongside us, threatening the very existence of humanity and our way of life in more ways than we can imagine. Almost all terrorist networks are sustained by transboun dary networks for ideology, recruitment, propaganda, funding, arms, training and sanctuary. These organizations are not bound by the borders, norms, legal frameworks and bureaucracy that bind Member States and the United Nations at all levels. Therefore, no single nation alone can tackle this menace decisively. There is no stronger case for more multilateral action, more coordination and more cooperation on any matter among all stakeholders than terrorism. 2. In this regard, the creation of an office of counter - terrorism and the post of coordinator is a much awaited first step. It is important that it is set on a solid and strong foundation for achieving the goal of establishing a strong United Nations brand on counter -terrorism at the political, normative and operational levels; enhanced multilateral cooperation and honest exchanges between Member States in the multilateral format and norm setting and the sharing of best practices across regions and platforms for better coordination and collaboration in deal ing with threats from transnational terrorist networks. It is crucial that the individual who occupies the proposed post of Under - Secretary -General for counter -terrorism be able to take positions and speak on behalf of "all of the United Nations" and begin the critical task of building an "all United Nations" approach in dealing with the terrorist threat at the multilateral level, including: (a) A certain convening power/authority/role on counter -terrorism matters with the different United Nations bodies, including not only General Assembly mandated bodies, bodies of the Department of Political Affairs and the Economic and Social Council, but also bodies mandated by the Security Council, so as to be 17-05341 27/58 A/71/858 on the top of issues to be dealt with, and to set the counter -terrorism agenda on behalf of and in consultation with Member States; (b) In addition to the cooperation with regional bodies like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization regional counter -terrorism structure, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the African Union, which is envisaged, there should also be cooperation with crucial international organizations such as the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which work in the fields of terrorist financing and investigating funding of terrorist networks. Coordination with all such organizations should be strengthened to bring greater coherence and effectiveness in the United Nations response to the terrorist threat; (c) Enhanced political and technical engagement with Member States so as to build strong relations in advancing their collective counter -terrorism agenda; (d) To develop, and to be considered by all, as the United Nations voice on counter -terrorism issues, not merely one voice on counter -terrorism; this is especially important for building the United Nations narrative for the ordinary people at large. 3. India supports the proposal of the Secretary -General for the creation of an office of counter - terrorism in order to address the need to enhance coordination of United Nations counter -terrorism efforts. India will extend all possible support in bringing the proposal to its fruition. Islamic Republic of Iran 1. The creation of the office of counter -terrorism and the new post of Under Secretary -General to coordinate counter -terrorism related activities across the United Nations system can contribute to the enhancement of the Organization's capacity as a whole and bring stronger coherence to the entire United Nations system. It can also expand the capacity of the United Nations to better address the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism. In this process, we also underline the significance of a sustainable approach to counter -terrorism by taking long -term policy directions and reinforcing the capacity of Member States to implement the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, particularly by focusing on preventive measures. 2. In the preamble of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, there is a reaffirmation that the "international community should take the necessary steps to enhance cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism in a decisive, unified, coordinated, inclusive and transparent manner". Transparency and inclusiveness are among the core principles that should be upheld and mainstreamed in all areas of United Nations counter -terrorism activities, including the United Nations Counter Terrorism Centre and its Advisory Board. In our view, the Counter -Terrorism Centre is one of the main bodies, which needs to be well reformed in this process to reflect those main principles. Given the important role of the Centre in providing capacity building projects to Member States, transparency and inclusiveness should be the main characteristics in dealing with sovereign Member States apart from any irrelevant political or other considerations. The new structure should also improve in a way that encourages active engagement of all Member States in the activities of the Centre without distinction, paving the way for voluntary and other forms of support from a larger number of the general membership. 3. We are of the view that the Centre should be bound by United Nations rules and long -standing respected traditions. The Centre, at its inception, could have se en 28/58 17-05341 A/71/858 some exceptions in this regard, but after years of operation as part of the United Nations system, it needs to be enhanced to the level of other normative United Nations entities. Therefore, the members of its Advisory Board should be elected or appointed in a transparent process, after consultation with regional groups, and for a limited time period, with due regard to geographical distribution, ensuring the widest form of representation by the Member States. This would provide the basic requirements for equal opportunity for the entire membership in the active participation and effective engagement in its activities. This is something that we expect to see in the clear development of any draft proposal by the Secretariat. A detailed draft proposal to meet those conditions will bring about confidence in Member States and coherence in the ability of the United Nations system to deliver quality services with regard to the high objectives of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, including capacity - building measures. While voluntary contributions play a key role in implementing counter -terrorism projects, any attempt to create an exclusive arbitrary decision - making apparatus within the United Nations is a clear deviation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. 4. For a balanced implementation of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, guaranteeing the professionalism, impartiality and transparency of the proposed office of counter -terrorism in providing technical assistance, the following conditions seems to be inevitable: (a) funding for any new structure or office should be met through the regular budget, or at least a mix of regular budget and voluntary contributions; (b) extrabudgetary contributions are highly welcomed, but nee d to be limited to the provision of technical assistance only; (c), the General Assembly should allocate sufficient and sustainable funding from the regular budget for capacity -building to meet the needs of Member States, upon request, in an impartial, balanced and sustainable manner. 5. My delegation supports the ongoing process, based on the mandate of General Assembly resolution 70/291, and is ready to engage with other partners to find best viable ways to strengthen the counter -terrorism structure with a view to countering terrorism as the "global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security". Kenya 1. The adoption by Member States of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy in 2006 established horizontal cooperation and coordination structures within the United Nations, in particular through the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force. During the review of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy at its tenth anniversary in 2016, Member States noted that, due to many challenges, the United Nations system response to counter terrorism was not functioning optimally in terms of coherence and coordination. They called for measures to improve this response, as captured in paragra ph 70 of General Assembly resolution 70/291. 2. This paper reaffirms Kenya's commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, including its four pillars, in a balanced manner and expresses its solidarity with the call by Member States for more coherence and coordination of global efforts against terrorism. We believe that the leadership of the United Nations is crucial in fostering inter -organizational cooperation within and between nations and regions in the fight against terrorism. The United Nations provides a unique framework for understanding and comprehending the complexity of the ever -evolving transnational threat posed by terrorism to international peace and security. This calls for a United Nations system with the necessary horizontal cooperation networks and capacity to manage the 17-05341 29/58 A/71/858 many intertwined inter - organizational challenges. At a minimum, this entails a strong, unified leadership of United Nations efforts in addressing the transnational menace. 3. Terrorism is a networked transnational threat. Kenya, from its own experience, believes that the United Nations system should embrace a truly comprehensive network approach to decimate the threat. On coordination and coherence 4. There have been persistent concerns on how to optimally coordinate the over 30 United Nations entities with unique primary mandates and funding mechanisms in the fight against terrorism. Studies have shown that coordination problems generally occur when two or more agencies share the same policy responsibilities for a common set of problems. In addition, competition over the control of policy can lead to conflict among agencies and the development of parallel/duplicitous, redundant and costly systems. Furthermore, agencies in a shared policy space can become rivals when they seek funding from the same limited sources. 5. While it has been noted that coordination problems inhibit the overall effectiveness of agencies to respond to a problem, solutions can be realized through cooperative policymaking. This is what the Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force has been doing over the last 10 years, as attested in the report of the Secretary -General. The report calls for an "All of United Nations" collective approach to systematically implementing the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy as well as measures to implement the Secretary -General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. 6. Kenya, from its own experience, believes that the following options will further enhance the coherence and coordination of the United Nations system in counter -terrorism activities, including its efforts to assist Member States to implement the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy in a balanced manner: (a) We support the Secretary - General's proposal to create a dedicated office of counter -terrorism headed by an Under -Secretary -General, accountable to the General Assembly. The office will provide unified leadership to the 38 entities of the Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force and will reduce their ability to compete over policy space given their different mandates. It will provide an avenue for various United Nations entities to recognize their shared interests and objectives in counter -terrorism through an open exchange of information among them; (b) The evolving nature of terrorism as a transnational threat that exploits globalization and advances, through the use of modern communications and transportation technology, to recruit, fundraise and finance its elf through credible trading enterprises, calls on the United Nations system to respond in a unified manner. Its calls on the United Nations system to invest its resources efficiently by encouraging its entities to invest more in dual -purpose initiatives, such as dual -use information systems, joint training and data repositories on best practices against the evolving threat; (c) The need for the United Nations system to expand its policy focus to include long -term planning and the establishment of durable linkages and international cooperation with regional and subregional entities, other international organizations, academia and civil society to promote cooperative regimes against terrorism in all its forms. Sustainable ways of mobilizing resources and cap acity building for Member States will be achieved through such cooperative regimes with leadership by the United Nations. However, all such initiatives must be nationally owned, regionally anchored and internationally supported; 30/58 17-05341 A/71/858 (d) The activities of the office of counter -terrorism must be coherent in carried out in an inclusive manner, including the overarching United Nations goals on peace and security, development and human rights. It must align its vision and activities with the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, particularly Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda regarding peace, justice and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions, as well as an emphasis on prevention strategies in counter -terrorism. Liechtenstein 1. Liechtenstein thanks the Secretary -General for the transparent and inclusive consultative process launched on the basis of paragraph 70 of General Assembly resolution 70/291 and, in this regard, welcomes his proposal to create a new office for counter -terrorism. Liechtenstein attaches high importance to having adequate Secretariat structures in place to allow for the comprehensive and balanced implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and for improved promotion of the prevention of violent extremism in accordance with the relevant Plan of Action. With respect to the Secretary -General's proposal, Liechtenstein would like to submit the following comm ents. 2. The Secretary -General has put prevention at the top of his political agenda and enjoys broad support on the part of the United Nations membership in that regard. Liechtenstein welcomes the fact that the Secretary -General proposes to firmly embed the prevention of violent extremism among the core responsibilities of the new office for counter - terrorism. The prevention of violent extremism agenda is a key component of a comprehensive approach to counter -terrorism, which should be reflected in all aspects of work of the new office, including in the terms of reference of the leadership structure, through the allocation of dedicated staff, in the office's reporting as well as in the allocation of funding to operational activities. Increasing the share of the regular budget in the overall budget of the new office could assist this process. Strengthening the prevention of violent extremism agenda within the United Nations system is soundly based on other key commitments and obligations of Member States, including in the areas of sustainable development and human rights, and will contribute to their realization. 3. Creating a new office for counter -terrorism is an opportunity to put human rights at the forefront of the United Nations response to international terrorism and to ensure a more balanced implementation of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy across its four pillars. The United Nations system must speak with one voice on the need to respect fundamental rights and freedoms while countering terrorism. The new office, its leadership and staff, should lead by example on this issue, also with respect to other United Nations counter -terrorism activities. To that effect, the leadership and staff of the new office should build on and benefit from existing expertise within the United Nations system and establish effective forms of cooperation with relevant stakeholders from civil society, in particular those representing youth, women, victims, religions and academia. In the area of capacity building, effective cooperation with other United Nations actors, including with those also responsible for counter -terrorism activities, should be sought to the extent possible. 4. The new office will also have a particular responsibility in contributing to the efforts of the United Nations system to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. While the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy as a whole can make a substantive contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and commitments, pillars I and IV are of particular importance in this regard. The new office should be fully committed to promoting their implementation as a matter of priority and to providing stronger financial support for activities under these pillars, 17-05341 31/58 A/71/858 with a view to arriving at a better overall balance in the funding of activities under the Global Strategy. 5. Liechtenstein looks forward to the report of the Secretary -General to be submitted on the basis of his consultations and stands ready to engage constructively in the upcoming discussions. Morocco 1. Morocco welcomes the holding of an informal meeting on 22 February 2017, at the request of the Secretary -General, to consult Member States on strengthening the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy in a balanced manner, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 70/291. 2. It welcomes the seriousness, good will and commitment of the Secretary General in providing new impetus to the United Nations counter -terrorism architecture, only one month after assuming his duties, and his focus on working closely in consultation with Member States on such an important and sensitive issue that concerns all Member States. 3. The fifth review of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy noted the existence of anomalies, incoherence, redundancy and duplication in the counter -terrorism work of the United Nations. Hence, at the conclusion of the review, the General Assembly adopted resolution 70/291, in which it called for reinvigorating the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy in a balanced manner. The objective is to increase synergies and coherence and to reduce overlap and fragmentation in the work of the United Nations in this area. 4. Morocco expresses its strong support for the relevant proposal of the Secretary -General to establish an office of counter -terrorism that would be headed by an Under - Secretary -General. 5. Given that terrorism poses an ongoing global threat, it is imperative to break with the piecemeal approach, which has shown its limitations, and to work towards a new approach that is holistic, comprehensive and proactive. The latter can succeed only if its implementation is entrusted to a senior official on a full -time basis, within the framework of an integrated structure that is capable of meeting the challenge of countering terrorism in all its dimensions. 6. The future Under -Secretary -General should have a thorough understanding of the complexity of the various facets of terrorism and of the regions that are greatly affected by terrorism and, in particular, be able to establish direct contacts w ith Member States in a spirit of cooperation, understanding and exchange of experience, far from any interference in the internal affairs of Member States and with respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. 7. Terrorism threatens the whole of humanity, its values and its civilization. The office of counter - terrorism should therefore not depend on voluntary contributions. Its funding must be a part of the regular budget in order to avoid any adverse effects on staff performance and on the implementation of United Nations programmes and activities. 8. The future senior United Nations counter - terrorism official will also need to pay special attention to the prevention of violent extremism, as part of a comprehensive vision to counter terrorism and violent extremism. 32/58 17-05341 A/71/858 9. That official must be supported by civil servants who are experts on the issues of terrorism and violent extremism. Hence, it will be important to ensure equitab le representation in the new office. It should be noted that Moroccan experts have in depth and proven knowledge in this area. 10. As part of its counter - terrorism strategy, Morocco has adopted an approach based on bilateral cooperation, regional and subregional coordination and multilateral engagement, both within the United Nations and within the framework of international initiatives and forums. 11. It has put in place a national strategy to combat terrorism and violent extremism, based on prevention and action, consistent with the provisions of the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. The Moroccan strategy has incorporated a component that works both to suppress, through the mobilization of security and justice services, as well as prevent, through the adoption of political, economic, social, cultural, educational and religious reforms. The reform of the religious sector, in particular through the training of young male and female preachers in the precepts of Islam, is based on the values of dialogue, tolerance, moderation, coexistence and respect for others, which are enshrined in Islam. Similarly, there is also a programme for the deradicalization, rehabilitation and integration of foreign terrorist fighters. 12. Morocco is ready to work with the United Nations, through bilateral and triangular arrangements, in order to provide the necessary assistance and to share its experience and expertise with States upon request. 13. The importance of the centrality of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism should not come at the expense of an open and proactive approach by the new Under -Secretary -General towards initiatives and forums that have demonstrated their serious commitment to the fight against terrorism over the y ears. Such is the case with the Global Counterterrorism Forum, which is co - chaired by Morocco and the Netherlands. 14. During the seventh ministerial meeting of the Forum, held in September 2016 in New York, the Director of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the Executive Director of the Counter - Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) were invited to participate in the meeting. The objective was to involve the United Nations in the work of the Forum. 15. Finally, Morocco will spare no effort to ensure the success of this endeavour by the Secretary -General and will send its proposals at a subsequent date, as requested, in order to enrich the new United Nations counter -terrorism architecture. New Zealand 1. The Government of New Zealand welcomes the initiative of the Secretary General to implement the request of the General Assembly as contained in paragraph 70 of its resolution 70/291 and supports his proposal to establish a dedicated office of counter - terrorism, as described in his letter of 3 February 2017. 2. While New Zealand values the work the United Nations does on counter terrorism, we think improvements could be made to make it more effective. We see the establishment of the office of counter - terrorism and the position of Under Secretary -General as a first step towards more effective implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. 3. We stress that the mandate of the office of counter - terrorism and the Under Secretary -General should be focused on the balanced implementation of all four 17-05341 33/58 A/71/858 pillars of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, including the prevention of violent extremism. 4. The key aspects of the office and the role of the Under -Secretary -General should be to: (a) Improve coherence and coordination both within the United Nations and with external actors, including the Global Counterterrorism Forum and civil society. The Under -Secretary -General should be the clear United Nations focal point and spokesperson for engagement on counter -terrorism and prevention of violent extremism; (b) Provide leadership on policy development and strategic communications; (c) Enhance the United Nations capacity -building role, especially in relation to small States. 5. New Zealand supports the Secretary -General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism and has continually stressed the importance of both prevention and the promotion of human rights. It will be important that a highly qualified individual be appointed into the position of Under -Secretary -General role, with experience across all four pillars of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. 6. While, as set out in the Secretary -General's proposal, there would be no supervisory role of the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), further cooperation and information sharing with the office of counter terrorism should be encouraged to avoid duplication. 7. As the Secretary -General has stressed, the role should not involve any supervision or monitoring of Member States but instead build a new partnership with them in both countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism. Nigeria 1. Nigeria believes that the proposed office of counter -terrorism, headed by an Under -Secretary -General, with a direct reporting line to the Secretary -General, would give the United Nations more coherence and provide for better strategic leadership in internal and external communication in the fight against terrorism. 2. Nigeria also believes that the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre should be encouraged to continue to provide support to Member States in terms of capacity -building as well as liaising with them in the development and implementation of various programmes for rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of violent extremism, internally displaced persons and refugees. Norway 1. The spread of radicalization and returning foreign terrorist fighters is a matter of serious concern, not only in the Middle East region, but also on a global scal e. Threats from non -State actors in the form of terrorism and violent extremism are growing and converging. The nature of conflict is becoming increasingly complex. We must prevent terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms. 2. Norway noted, with great interest, the Secretary -General's remarks to the Security Council open debate on conflicts in Europe on 21 February 2017, highlighting that, within Europe, there are serious unresolved, protracted conflicts, while new threats and challenges are emerging. Populism, nationalism, xenophobia and violent extremism are both causes and effects of conflict. More than ever, we 34/58 17-05341 A/71/858 need an effective, cohesive and adaptable United Nations that is equipped to tackle the new security challenges. 3. Norway supports the proposal for a strategic coordinator for counter -terrorism activities and countering violent extremism. The strategic coordinator should be appointed at the Under -Secretary -General level. Ideally, the architecture of the office and the work of the Under - Secretary - General should cover both counter terrorism activities and the prevention of violent extremism in order to bring greater coherence and a high -level focus to these interrelated issues. 4. The mandate of the Under - Secretary -General should be clear, non -duplicative and contain a strong reference to the prevention of violent extremism agenda -- reinforced by encouraging a holistic whole -of-society approach. 5. One key qualification for the position of Under -Secretary -General should be that she or he has experience in both development and security as well as the ability to work inclusively and cooperating effectively with a range of stakeholders, including civil society actors. 6. We would also welcome the appointment of a strategic coordinator/Under Secretary -General with a proven record that is consistent with the values outlined in the United Nations Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy (2006) and the Secretary General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (2016). 7. The responsibilities of the Under -Secretary -General should reflect an appropriate balance across all four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. 8. The office of the Under -Secretary -General must collaborate and interact with civil society and other non -governmental stakeholders in order to be effective. It should also engage with actors on the ground and serve as a clearinghouse of information between relevant entities, including those in the field. 9. Moreover, it is crucial that the strategic coordinator/Under -Secretary -General draw upon the expertise that the United Nations has on a wide variety of issues, as well as streamline and coordinate core activities related to conflict prevention, development, education and other fields considered essential for countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism. 10. The appointment would further improve the ability of the United Nations system ability to implement all four pillars of its Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy in a cohesive and coordinated manner, thereby enhancing its ability to pool and mobilize resource and support from Member States. 11. Once again, we would like to thank the Secretary -General for his commitment to improving the ability of the United Nations to counter terrorism and vi olent extremism. We look forward to working with you and Member States to implement your vision in the most appropriate way. Pakistan 1. Pakistan welcomes the efforts to review the existing counter -terrorism architecture, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 70/291. 2. In paragraph 70 of its resolution 70/291, the General Assembly called on the Secretary -General "to review, in consultation with the General Assembly, the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States, upon their request, in implementing the Strategy in a balanced manner, including by strengthening cooperation with other international and regional organizations and improving the 17-05341 35/58 A/71/858 mobilization of resources necessary for capacity -building projects". This paragraph clearly provides the ambit of review and reform of the counter -terrorism architecture. 3. In addition, in the same paragraph of resolution 70/291, the General Assembly, while requesting the Secretary -General to carry out a review, also requested him to "provide concrete suggestions to the Assembly" for its consideration. 4. In this regard, review of the capability of the United Nations system should include an assessment of its strengths and weaknesses, including details regarding the nature of, and gaps in, existing funding of the United Nations in assisting Member States in implementation of the United Nations Global Counte r -Terrorism Strategy. Furthermore, we request the Secretary -General to reflect in his report the percentage of funds available for capacity - building from budgetary and extrabudgetary resources, as well as the percentage of earmarked and non -earmarked funds. 5. The creation of a new structure/office for enhancing the capability of the United Nations ability to assist Member States, upon their request, in implementing the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy is inextricably linked to its mandate and capability. Our priorities for mandate are clearly outlined in this submission. Also included are our views on adequate staffing and resources from the regular budget, which are important determinants of the capability of a new structure to carry out its mandate in an effective, balanced and sustained manner. Mandate 6. In the preambular section of resolution 70/291, the General Assembly stated that, "terrorism and violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism c annot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group". It is imperative that the United Nations not only uphold this principle but also discourage any effort to the contrary. 7. The General Assembly, in paragraph 6 of resolution 70/291, clearly assigns the primary responsibility of implementing the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy to the Member States. Therefore, the main role of any United Nations structure created to assist Member States in implementation of that Strategy must focus on enhancing the Organization's capability, coordination and coherence to effectively address the needs of Member States upon their request. 8. Any newly created structure/office must not seek to monitor or assess Member States' implementation of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, as the same remains within the purview of respective Member States. 9. The principle of non - interference in the internal affairs of States, as contained in Article 2(7) of the Charter of the United Nations, must be fully respected. It is imperative that any new structure should not be used to establish new norms. 10. The separation of mandates of the General Assembly and the Security Council should be clear and unambiguous. 11. We believe that without addressing the underlying and root causes of terrorism, we will only be fighting its symptoms. We have always advocated that protracted unresolved conflicts, the unlawful use of force, aggression, foreign occupation, denial of the right to self -determination and political and economic injustice, as well as political marginalization and alienation contribute to the spread of terrorism. Therefore, it is important not to delink terrorism from its political context. 36/58 17-05341 A/71/858 12. We consider it important to maintain close interface of a stand - alone structure/office of counter -terrorism with the Department of Political Affairs, and to ensure that its views are heard in high -level decision -making processes of the United Nations. 13. The mandate and capability of any new structure/office of counter -terrorism must reflect the need for balanced implementation of the Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy, without prioritizing one pillar over the other. 14. No funds of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Centre should be used to pay for any of the costs attached to the creation of a new structure/office of counter -terrorism and the Centre's funds should be dedicated to its projects. The structure and role of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Centre should also be maintained. Capability 15. We take note of the proposal of the Secretary - General to create an office of counter -terrorism and, consistent with the request made by Member States in paragraph 70 of General Assembly resolution 70/291, believe that various options could be provided for their consideration, including, in particular, variations of his preliminary proposal, based on proper/adequate staffing requirements of a stand alone office of counter -terrorism. 16. We believe that any structure created for effective coordination and coherence of the counter -terrorism - related work of United Nations bodies must have the requisite wherewithal, both in terms of human and financial resources, to assist Member States in implementing the Global Strategy in a balanced and sustained manner. 17. Pakistan, therefore, requests the Secretary - General to provide different versions of his proposal for effective functioning of a stand -alone office of counter terrorism, in particular its ability to carry out its mandate across the four pillars of the Strategy. 18. It is essential to ensure autonomy, impartiality, predictability and sustainability of any new structure/office of counter -terrorism. In this regard, it is important that funding for any new structure or office should be met by the regular budget and that extrabudgetary contributions should be limited to the provision of technical assistance. 19. However, to ensure that any new structure/office of counter -terrorism has the capability to assist Member States in an impartial, balanced and sustained manner, it is imperative to allocate sufficient and sustainable funding from the regular budget for the capacity -building needs of Member States, upon their request. 20. Pakistan therefore requests the Secretary - General to propose how, and to what extent, resources and funds can be generated from the regular budget of the United Nations for meeting the capacity -building needs of the Member States, upon their request. Peru 1. States should adopt a joint comprehensive strategic vision for combating terrorism. The practical implementation of the strategic vision at the national, regional and international levels should be based on the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and respect for international law and international humanitarian law and should enjoy strong support from the United Nations system. 17-05341 37/58 A/71/858 2. The office of counter -terrorism, headed by an Under -Secretary -General reporting directly to the Secretary -General, should make the actions of the system more visible, effective, coherent and coordinated, in particular between the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the Counter -Terrorism Centre. 3. The work of the prevention of violent extremism unit should reflect the mandate covered by the first pillar of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, which concerns the important matter of addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, such as hate speech and the recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters. 4. The activities of the combating terrorism unit should reflect the objective of the second pillar by focusing on addressing the various aspects and manifestations of the threat, such as the misuse of civil society organizations to promote and disseminate terrorist ideologies for the purposes of recruiting followers, obtaining funds or even justifying the actions of terrorist entities and their leaders. 5. The human rights, rule of law and cross -cutting issues unit should deal with the issues covered by the fourth pillar of the Strategy and also provide care for victims of terrorist attacks. 6. The office of counter -terrorism should maintain the balance between the four pillars of the Strategy as a matter of crucial importance. In that connection, there should be greater emphasis on prevention and building the capacity of States, in line with the third pillar of the Strategy, which underscores the role of international cooperation and the exchange of experiences and information. The Philippines 1. The Philippines concurs with the following elements of General Assembly resolution 70/291: (a) Strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes; (b) Significance of a sustained and comprehensive approach, including through stronger efforts, where necessary, to address conditions conducive to th e spread of terrorism, bearing in mind that terrorism will not be defeated by military force, law enforcement measures and intelligence operations alone; (c) Engaging relevant local communities and non -governmental actors, highlighting the role of women in countering terrorism and violent extremism and involving the youth in the promotion of a culture of peace; (d) Denying terrorist groups safe haven, freedom of operations movement and recruitment, and cooperating to exchange information in preventing for eign terrorist fighters from crossing borders. 2. The following are the programmes and initiatives of the Philippine National Police in preventing terrorism: (a) Target hardening: this uses the synergy of partnerships involving the community, police, local government leaders and all other concerned sectors in preventing terrorist attacks from happening or minimizing impact; (b) Law enforcement: this pertains to the arrest of persons involved in terrorist attacks such as the case of the bombing of the Dava o Roxas night market on 2 September 2016 and the case of the improvised explosive device found near the United States Embassy on 28 November 2016; 38/58 17-05341 A/71/858 (c) Countering violent extremism: this includes the issuance of media posts, the posting of bomb threat awareness/explosive company (EC) materials alerts, counter -radicalization and deradicalization activities and techniques on countering the use of social media by terrorists; (d) Intelligence fusion: this includes the attendance by representatives of the law enforcement agency at meetings with the International Police (Interpol) and participation in the Counter -Terrorism Leaders' Forum, among others; (e) Crisis management: the Philippine National Police has issued three memorandums pertaining to crisis management, including: (i) Memorandum Circular No. 2016 -035, "Task Force Manila Shield"; (ii) Memorandum Circular 2016 -059, "Police Operational Procedure on the Conduct of Condition Situation Response System"; (f) Border control: this pertains to the capacity of the security forces to patrol and control and maritime borders. 3. On pillar I (Address conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism), the Philippines, through Republic Act No. 10697 or the "Strategic Trade Management Act", seeks to ensure that the country is free from weapons of mass destruction. Effective measures are in place to establish domestic controls to prevent their proliferation. 4. The countering violent extremism activities conducted by the Philippine National Police reflect the thrust of pillar 2 (Preventing and combating terrorism). The Salaam Police Centre of the Directorate for Police Community Relations conducted a total of 60 counter -radicalization and deradicalization activities nationwide through community dialogues, peace forums, Islamic symposia, interfaith rallies, the signing of peace covenants, the settlement of clan wars or "Rido" settlements, and the distribution of information materials to different areas nationwide. These activities were designed to strengthen the Philippine National Police personnel as well as to bolster the Muslim community's knowledge and understanding on how to effectively address terrorism issues. 5. The Philippines respectfully recommends the following: (a) More effective means of preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, means of delivery and related materials; (b) It is the principal responsibility of Member States to implement the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, while encouraging the further elaboration and development of national, subregional and regional plans, as appropriate, to support the Strategy's implementation; (c) Capacity - building programmes and initiatives aligned with pillar 3 (Building the capacity of States and strengthening the role of the Uni ted Nations), specifically for law enforcement, policymakers and practitioners. Enhanced dialogue among stakeholders with a view to placing national perspectives at the centre of capacity -building measures is also suggested; (d) As an input to pillar 4 (Ensuring respect for human rights and compliance with the rule of law), it is recommended that support and assistance be provided to victims of terrorism through financial, medical and psychosocial support, and through the criminal justice process. 17-05341 39/58 A/71/858 Russian Federation 1. The Russian delegation welcomes the initiative of the Secretary -General, in his letter of 3 February 2017, to reach out to the Member States on the issue of establishment of an office of counter - terrorism and other related institutional arrangements. 2. We support the intention of the Secretary -General, as voiced at the informal meeting of the General Assembly on 22 February 2017, to issue the report requested by the Assembly in paragraph 70 of resolution 70/291 as soon as possible prior to the date set by the Assembly. 3. We also believe that the issue of institutional arrangements proposed by the Secretary -General, by nature and importance, deserve the special attention of the General Assembly. Therefore the Russian delegation's preference is to thoroughly and expeditiously address the proposals by the Secretary -General in this respect, including by the taking of a relevant decision by Assembly (with prior engagement of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the Fifth Committee, as appropriate). 4. In case additional elements arise with respect to 70 of resolution 70/291 related to capability of the United Nations to support Member States in implementing the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, it would be practicable to detach those from the issue of institutional arrangements. 5. As for the substance of the matter, the letter of the Secretary -General of 3 February 2017 is, in our view, a solid basis for the upcoming report. 6. We would be ready to support the idea of establishing the office of counter terrorism headed by an Under -Secretary -General, who would coordinate counter terrorism - related activities across the United Nations system and report to the General Assembly through Secretary -General. The following elements are essential in this regard. 7. The arrangements, as presented by the Secretary - General, are rightly directed at improving the efficiency of United Nations counter -terrorism efforts without changing the different mandates in the field of counter -terrorism. We encourage improvement of the coordination between the bodies mandated by the Security Council and by the General Assembly, which may be effectively achieved within working groups and the 38 entities, including the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the ISIL/"Al - Qaida" Monitoring Team, participating in the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force to be chaired by the new Under -Secretary -General. 8. Our principled position is that the new office should duly prioritize, in a systematic and full manner, the thematic areas of counter -terrorism, for instance, those of curbing the activities of foreign terrorist fighters a nd preventing the spread of terrorist ideology, including through the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs). This work should be done in the way consistent with the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and its subsequent reviews. We are encouraged by the assurances of the Secretary -General that the four pillars of the Strategy would be given equal and balanced consideration by the office of counter - terrorism. 9. That is also relevant to the concept of "preventing violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism", which has be given increased attention recently. It should be taken into account that the response of Member States to the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism advanced by the former Secretary - General was not unequivocal. The Plan of Action was neither endorsed nor welcomed by the 40/58 17-05341 A/71/858 General Assembly. The preventing violent extremism agenda is, in any event, complementary to the preventive pillar of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and subordinate to the broader counter - terrorism context, and is not a separate independent topic. The outline set by the Secretary -General in his letter of 3 February 2017 points to the right direction in this regard, including the intention to keep the preventing violent extremism agenda within the framework of the Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy and to ensure its "added value" in terms of counter -terrorism goals. 10. We also fully share the Secretary -General's conviction that the new office shall not impinge upon national sovereignty. Any activities of the office and the new Under -Secretary -General should be in support of and upon the request of Member States, who have the primary responsibility for the implementation of the Global Strategy. 11. The Russian delegation is looking forward to the report of the Secretary General in anticipation that it would be drafted in the same balanced manner as the concept presented in his letter of 3 February. Switzerland 1. Switzerland thanks the Secretary -General for his proposal to reinforce the efforts of the Organization and support States with the comprehensive, coherent and effective implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. Switzerland considers this proposal as a necessary first step. 2. Switzerland fully supports the establishment of a new entity, which we suggest calling the "office for the implementation of the Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy" (hereinafter "the office"). The office would be headed by an Under Secretary -General possessing, either individually or by virtue of his/her team, expertise in matters relating not only to security, but also to peace, development, international law, particularly to human rights and international humanitarian law, and the rule of law. The expertise mentioned above should be fully taken into account when organizing this new office. 3. The office should strive to guarantee the comprehensive and balanced implementation of the four pillars of the Strategy, but also to ensure linkages with different global agendas concerning prevention, human rights and the promotion and maintenance of peace. 4. In accordance with the principle of delivering as one, Switzerland supports strengthening cooperation among all the United Nations entities, including Headquarters and United Nations country teams, that are involved in the implementation of the Strategy. Furthermore, Switzerland also calls for close cooperation between the Office and the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), in order to better utilize existing synerg ies and avoid duplication of efforts. 5. Switzerland emphasizes the role of civil society and of the communities affected by violent extremism and terrorism, not only as recipients, but also as actors in the implementation of the Strategy. Switzerland also attaches great importance to cooperation between the office and multilateral international or regional actors, such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund. 6. Switzerland is of the view that the new Under -Secretary -General should endeavour to consider the issue of sustainable financing for the office and clarify 17-05341 41/58 A/71/858 the existing structures and processes to ensure that the United Nations is fully able to support States in their efforts to implement the Strategy. 7. Switzerland reiterates its full support for that proposal and considers that having a short General Assembly resolution to endorse the proposal of the Secretary -General would be an appropriate measure. Switzerland stands ready to provide any further information. Syrian Arab Republic 1. My Government welcomes the proposal of the Secretary -General, which reflects his belief that counter -terrorism must be treated as a matter of utmost priority at this juncture. Terrorism is the greatest threat to international peace and security, and hinders national development plans and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the Organization. 2. The proposal would make counter -terrorism one of the highest priorities of the United Nations. Doing so would mark a paradigm shift in how that global threat is addressed, and would be in keeping with the call that the Syrian Arab Republic has been making for decades. This paradigm shift is now imperative in view of the terrorism directed against the Syrian Arab Republic and other countries, whic h, unfortunately, is sponsored, funded and facilitated by the Governments of Member States. 3. The proposed office for counter -terrorism will not be effectively and genuinely independent unless it is protected from the political considerations and agendas of the Governments of certain Member States and their efforts to politicize its work or impose a working method that hinders it from achieving its objectives. 4. Accordingly, the proposed office should, from the very outset, be funded through the United Nations regular budget under the collective oversight of the General Assembly, in order to protect it from the political and financial pressure exerted by the Governments of certain Member States. The United Nations Counter Terrorism Centre will remain an affront to collective action within the framework of the United Nations. It is inconceivable that this Centre should be funded in the amount of more than $100 million by the Government of Saudi Arabia even as that same Government violates Security Council resolutions concerning counter terrorism by giving billions of dollars in funding to armed terrorist groups in the Syrian Arab Republic. It is also spending hundreds of millions of dollars on religious centres around the world to spread extremist Wahhabi ideology that promotes hatred of other religions and calls for death and destruction. Those centres recruit hundreds of young people and send them to the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq as foreign terrorist fighters to join the ranks of Islamic State in Iraq an d the Levant (ISIL), the Nusrah Front and terrorist groups associated with them. 5. In that regard, my Government trusts and hopes that the new Under -Secretary General who will head the office of counter - terrorism will be appointed according to specific standards and considerations, including the neutrality, competence and integrity of the candidate for the post. The candidate should also be a national of a country the Government of which abides by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Organization's working methods, particularly with regard to the equality of Member States in sovereignty and rights, and someone who rejects double standards and remains aloof to political and financial pressure, considerations and polarization. Above all, the candidate must be committed to the pillars of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and the relevant Security Council resolutions. 42/58 17-05341 A/71/858 6. While my Government encourages the Secretary -General to use the powers vested in him by the Charter in order to take the necessary measures to combat terrorism effectively, it believes that eradicating terrorism must begin with the consolidation of international efforts in that regard and genuine political will on the part of the Governments of all Member States to eliminate terrorism. It should be clear to the Secretary -General that the Governments of certain Member States continue to violate the Charter and refuse to abide by the Security Council resolutions concerning counter -terrorism, some of which were adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter. I should like to recall, for example, resolution Security Council resolution 2253 (2015), the second paragraph of which sets forth a number of obligations for Member States, including ensuring that funding is not made available to ISIL, Al -Qaida and associated individuals, groups and entities; preventing the supply of weapons to them; and preventing their entry into or transit through the territories of these States. However, the Governments of certain Member States, particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, continue to violate the aforementioned resolution and to employ terrorist groups within and outside Syrian territory. Those States also continue to use terrorism as a political and military tool to achieve specific agendas, a policy that has led to an increase in the number and variety of terrorist attacks throughout the world, and they continue to threaten international peace and security. 7. My Government is of the view that abiding by and applying the following principles will guarantee the success of the Secretary -General's proposal to create a United Nations office of counter -terrorism: (a) There must be a commitment to the principles and provisions of the Charter and the rules of procedure for the distribution of powers and mandates within the framework of the United Nations and its various bodies, especially with regard to the Security Council's mandate to maintain international peace and security; (b) Due importance must be given to implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions in a serious and transparent manner, including by: conducting a comprehensive review of the work and reports of various departments, teams and bodies involved in counter -terrorism; ensuring that they develop recommendations and conclusions that are realistic, defined and not overly technical; regulating the diversity and complexity of the mandate holders, departments and teams working on counter -terrorism; and controlling unproductive expenditure in these areas; (c) Above all, it must be acknowledged that combating terrorism through international collective action means that the political will and commitment of all Member States must be marshalled in support of this objective, and that Member States must refrain from any action that violates the relevant Security Council resolutions and eschew the use of terrorism as a political and military tool to interfere in the internal affairs of Member States and to undermine thei r security, stability and legitimate Governments; (d) It is necessary to identify the aim and genuine intentions behind the regular use of the term "violent extremism" in conjunction with the term "terrorism", particularly given that the international community has not yet been able to agree on a specific definition of terrorism, which the Governments of Member States are using as a political weapon. My Government believes that violent extremism is a linked to terrorism and that the former is both a root c ause and a product of the latter. Accordingly, the priorities must continue to be defining terrorism and identifying ways to combat it. There is no such thing as "non -violent extremism"; any extremism paves the way for hatred, violence and terror! 17-05341 43/58 A/71/858 8. The challenges facing the international community in the fight against terrorism are great and fraught with danger. The problem of foreign terrorist fighters, tens of thousands of whom have been recruited and brought to my country from over 101 Member States of this international organization according to United Nations reports, alone warrants a serious examination of the extent to which the Governments of certain Member States of this Organization abide by their counter terrorism obligations. 9. The incitement to hatred, extremism and violence, and the recruitment of terrorists and the directives to terrorist cells throughout the world that appear in the media and social media and on the Internet should suffice to hold accountable some Governments and actors that indulge in such dangerous conduct under the pretext of upholding the human right of expression, yet they show no regard for the basic right to live in peace. 10. A review of the funds and sources of funding and financial support of these terrorist groups should provide adequate grounds to demand that the Governments of certain States commit to cutting off the funding of terrorist organizations. That funding comes from the direct support provided by those Governments and from the indirect support derived from the trade in oil, gas and antiquities between those same Government and the terrorist groups, particularly ISIL and the Nusrah Front. 11. There is therefore only one question that must be answered before approving any new proposals relating to United Nations counter -terrorism efforts: would it have been possible for hundreds of armed terrorist groups and tens of thousands of terrorists to continue committing acts of terrorism against the Government, army and people of the Syrian Arab Republic for more than six years without external support from the Governments of certain known States and without the indulgence of other known States for terrorists and their sponsors? 12. A transparent, sincere answer to those questions underscores the importance of the Secretary -General's proposals, which come at a critical time, as my country, the Syrian Arab Republic, and many others are afflicted by the scourge of terrorism. Thailand 1. Thailand welcomes the effort to better coordinate the works of various United Nations bodies and mechanisms in charge of counter -terrorism by creating an office of counter -terrorism. Thailand also recognizes the importance of integrating the work of all key actors and believes that unified United Nations policy and action through the newly created office will bring stronger coherence to the counter terrorism related activities carried out by Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force. 2. Thailand believes that office of counter -terrorism will play a vital role as the central point of contact for all United Nations entities, Member States, regional organizations, non -United Nations agencies, civil society and other players in efforts to counter terrorism. Thailand has no doubt that the office will help improve the system - wide coordination of United Nations bodies, as well as outbound coordination with relevant stakeholders, which will, in turn, help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the United Nations system in the implementation of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. 3. However, the role and responsibilities of the office of counter -terrorism should not duplicate the responsibilities of the existing Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), but should seek to complement each other to create synergy and enhance practical cooperation. 44/58 17-05341 A/71/858 4. Thailand encourages the office to emphasize and balance its work across all four -pillars of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, as well as to promote an inclusive and holistic approach to countering -terrorism through development, education, engaging communities, empowering youth and enhancing the role of women. Thus, the Under -Secretary -General undertaking the new position should have experience in both development and security and with a demonstrated ability to work inclusively with a range of stakeholders. 5. As transparency is one of the working principles of the United Nations, one of the jobs of the new office should include the ability to design and develop a framework to ensure more effective monitoring and evaluation of all aspects of related United Nations programming and project activities, as well as implementation and follow -up. This will not only keep track of all the activities conducted as a part of counter -terrorism, but also ensure that the efforts to implement the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy are synchronized, monitored and improved. Tunisia 1. While we support the initiative of reforming the current United Nations architecture by establishing an office of counter -terrorism, led by an Under Secretary -General, Tunisia considers that bringing more coherence and coordination across counter -terrorism activities carried out by the related United Nations entities and other relevant partners is at the core of its mission. 2. Tunisia believes that preventing violent extremism cannot be envisioned as an add -on component in our common fight against terrorism and that, hence, it should be considered as a central tenet of our long -term strategy to combat this threat. In this regard, Tunisia is of the view that preventing violent extremism, as firmly rooted within the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, should be one of the main components of the responsibilities of the new Under -Secretary -General. 3. Tunisia welcomes the appointment of a consensual Under -Secretary -General who embodies the standards of integrity, impartiality and competence and demonstrates extensive experience, expertise and deep knowledge in prevention and countering terrorism. We are confident that the future designated Under - Secretary General will have the required qualifications and leadership that would meet our expectations to develop efficient and coordinated United Nations responses to overcome these challenges. 4. As one of the countries affected by the scourge of terrorism, Tunisia is looking forward to constructively engaging with this timely initiative and further sharing its insights toward the effective functioning of the proposed office. Turkey 1. Turkey would like to reiterate that it supports in principle any initiative aimed at enhancing coordination and coherence as well as streamlining of United Nations counter -terrorism efforts. We have full confidence in the wisdom of the Secretary General on the new structure and its leadership. 2. In this regard, Turkey welcomes the commitment of the Secretary -General to a fully transparent and consultative process for the preparation of the aforementioned report. Since counter - terrorism is a global threat to which no country is immune, Turkey believes that the views and sensitivities of all States should be taken into 17-05341 45/58 A/71/858 account. Moreover, this process, aimed at reviewing and enhancing the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in their counter -terrorism efforts, should be led in a transparent and consultative way throughout. 3. Turkey believes that the report should provide a clear and comprehensive picture of the current activities of the United Nations system in the field of counter terrorism and of the entities involved, outlining the structural challenges and gaps that render reform necessary. 4. The mandate of a possible new entity and of its head should be well defined, leaving no room for ambiguity or misinterpretation. In particular, it should not include any form of monitoring or assessment of performances of individual or groups of Member States. 5. Assistance to Member States, including capacity -building, upon their request, for the balanced implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy across its four pillars should be the main task. In this regard, while activities aimed at preventing violent extremism and individual radicalization within the framework of pillars I and IV of the Strategy are necessary, measures to combat terrorism and to build States' capacities to this end remain crucial in view of the level of the current terrorist threat. 6. On the other hand, preventive efforts in the framework of pillars I and IV should focus on combating intolerance, social exclusion and a ll forms of xenophobia. 7. The new entity should pursue a close, regular and sincere dialogue with Member States. 8. Close coordination mechanisms with the Department of Political Affairs should be maintained, since terrorism cannot be addressed in isolati on from political contexts. 9. Further streamlining of United Nations counter - terrorism activities in order to avoid any sort of duplication and, in this regard, close coordination between the head of the new entity and the Executive Director of the Counte r -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) is essential. 10. The status of the United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre as the main capacity -building arm in counter -terrorism should be preserved. 11. Throughout the process, it should be kept in mind that the proposed new entity will have to handle delicate matters. The contributions of the countries suffering the most from terrorism should be taken into account. Turkey remains ready to contribute to this process. Ukraine 1. Ukraine consistently supports the need to enhance coherence, coordination and leadership of the United Nations system in dealing with the threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, including by conducting a reform of the United Nations counter - terrorism architecture and establishing an office of counter terrorism. 2. We proceed from understanding that the creation of an office of counter terrorism as a separate structural department of the Secretariat, headed by an Under Secretary -General, will improve the coordination of counter -terrorism efforts within the United Nations system and contribute to the proper implementation of the 46/58 17-05341 A/71/858 United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy as well as Secretary -General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. 3. Main requirements for the mandate of the office of counter -terrorism were outlined in the joint statement on Principles for United Nations Global Leadership on Preventing Violent Extremism, issued on 14 October 2016 on behalf of 73 states, including Ukraine, during the main part of the seventy -first session of the General Assembly. 4. In particular, to safeguard that the United Nations stance on countering terrorism remains strong, the United Nations, as represented by the office of countering terrorism, has to: (a) Show strategic leadership and commitment to action, tackling the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism on a basis of an "All of United Nations" approach; (b) Ensure appropriate resources and expertise to produce policy advice on countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism and on the targeting of programme resources; (c) Explain the strategic rationale and benefits of activities countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism at the Headquarters level, regionally and in the field, while employing communications tools to deliver targeted messages, and support to Member States in their efforts to do so, including when developing campaigns with counter and alternative narratives; (d) Strengthen its strategic policy and programme guidance to Member States based on an understanding of risk, vulnerabilities and gaps, including through close cooperation with relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and forums; (e) Enhance collaboration among all United Nations entities, particularly in the field. 5. Ukraine shares the view about the need for the adoption of an appropriate decision of the General Assembly to ensure the flawless transfer of the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre from the Department of Political Affairs to the newly established office of counter -terrorism. 6. Another important task is ensuring a balanced geographical staff representation in the office of counter -terrorism, particularly with regard to professional positions. 7. In our view, it is vitally required that the incumbent candidate for the position of Under -Secretary -General, who will head the office of counter -terrorism, has to demonstrate high professional competencies and extensive experienc e in the respective field and, particularly, impartiality, in order not to be influenced by different actors. We think that these requirements completely stipulate with the core values of the United Nations: integrity, professionalism and respect for diver sity. 8. A draft General Assembly resolution, which should encompass basic functions, tasks, powers and principles of work of the office of counter -terrorism, has to be a subject for additional consideration by Member States. United Arab Emirates 1. The United Arab Emirates welcomes the initiative of the Secretary -General to enhance the counter -terrorism architecture at the United Nations. In this context, the 17-05341 47/58 A/71/858 United Arab Emirates supports the proposal of the Secretary -General to create a new office of counter -terrorism, headed by an Under - Secretary -General. The United Arab Emirates wishes to stress the following points. 2. The United Arab Emirates believes that it is vital to provide a clear mandate for the office of counter -terrorism that aims to enhance coordination, coherence and cooperation within the United Nations counter -terrorism -related activities. The United Arab Emirates wishes to stress that the mandate of the office should respect the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, including the principle of national sovereignty, and should ensure their full implementation in the light of the rising threat of non -State actors in a complex and rapidly evolving global order. 3. The United Arab Emirates stresses the importance of prioritizing prevention in the mandate of the Under -Secretary -General. In this regard, the prevention of extremism, as and when conducive to terrorism, should be a central aspect of the mandate. The Under -Secretary -General shall ensure that preventing extremism activities are truly "value -added" in terms of counter - terrorism goals. 4. The United Arab Emirates hopes that the Under - Secretary -General will work to promote cooperation with external international entities that work on counter terrorism, including the Global Counterterrorism Forum. 5. The United Arab Emirates stresses that the role of the Under -Secretary General should prioritize the provision of assistance to Member States, upon their request, in implementing the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy in a balanced manner. 6. The United Arab Emirates call for Arab representation on the staff of the new office. 7. The United Arab Emirates looks forward to further engaging with the Secretary -General on this proposal, and also wishes to express its full support for and readiness to work with the Secretary - General towards the effective establishment and functioning of the office of counter -terrorism. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland would like to praise the drive and determination of the Secretary - General in prioritizing the request of the General Assembly to examine the United Nations counter - terrorism architecture. We support this initiative, which will enable effective and streamlined delivery of both counter -terrorism and prevention of violent extremism activity. We also support in principle the key functions outlined in the concept note of the Secretary -Generals. 2. We would reiterate that a United Nations approach to countering terrorism that excludes prevention would be a failure. Preventing violent extremism is an area with immense potential added value for the Organization, because it is a challenge that goes beyond peace and security policy alone, into the other United Nations pillars, including development and human rights. We therefore hope and expect that the prevention of violent extremism will remain a core part of any new office mandate, within the parameters of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. 3. For further guidance on the vital functions to prevent violent extremism we hope to see from the United Nations, we would refer to the joint statement of 48/58 17-05341 A/71/858 Principles for United Nations Global Leadership on Preventing Violent Extremism that was co -signed by 73 Member States on 14 October 2016. 4. On structure, we are particularly interested in the future staffing model, and fully support the creation of sub -teams to support and coordinate United Nations activity in each of the four pillars of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. We believe a sub - team on preventing violent extremism/and conditions conducive to violent extremism should remain an integral part of the new office proposal, in particular in order to directly oversee implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism and to coordinate all activity of the Organization in this field. The financial support of the United Kingdom, through the United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre, is a strong possibility to support such roles. 5. We also fully support the appointment of a senior (Under -Secretary -General) United Nations coordinator to champion and embed counter -terrorism and prevention of violent extremism policy and programmes throughout the United Nations system. We encourage the appointment of a credible and well - qualified candidate who is able to implement the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy in its entirety. It is also vital that the candidate be able to work with all Member States and other regional organization working in this field. 6. We reiterate that any new Under -Secretary - General, and the new office of counter -terrorism, should strive to address terrorism and its prevention comprehensively. The United Nations should, as always, not single out any particular religious or ethnic group in pursuing these matters. Violent extremism must be prevented and countered in all its forms, and United Nations human rights standards and international law must be respected at all times. 7. The exact mandate of this new Under -Secretary -General, and the precise structure of the new office of counter - terrorism, including the prevention of violent extremism, clearly requires careful consideration, but we are fully supportive of the functions outlined thus far. We look forward to working with the new office on this important initiative. 8. I would like to finish by indicating full the support of the United Kingdom for the written contribution of the European Union that you will have als o received on this matter. United States of America 1. United Nations counter -terrorism efforts require streamlining, and call for greater coordination among United Nations entities and with external partners. A senior United Nations official is also needed to provide leadership for the Organization's increasing workload related to the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy and oversight to eliminate redundancies. The United States of America strongly supports the proposal of the Secretary -General to appoint an Under -Secretary -General to serve as his senior adviser on counter -terrorism. The role of the Under - Secretary -General will be to improve the Organization's ability to address contemporary terrorist threats. The United States wants to see the United Nations advance its Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, including by seeking progress equally on all four of its pillars. We also want the Organization to make counter -terrorism efforts part of its core work to advance peace and security, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law. 2. We encourage the Secretary -General to propose the office as "coordinator of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy." In addition to a clear 17-05341 49/58 A/71/858 articulation of the role of the office in its terms of reference, this title will help ensure that the new Under -Secretary -General focuses on improving coordination and a balanced implementation of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. It will also allow a clearer division of labour between the mandate of the Security Council on counter -terrorism issues and the new office. 3. The work of the coordinator should neither impinge upon the mandate of the Counter -Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate (CTED) nor have any supervisory responsibilities over CTED. However, we expect the Under - Secretary General to work closely with the Executive Director, including regularly engaging with the Security Council and the Counter -Terrorism Committee. The Committee's multi - stakeholder meetings on key topics and the country assessments and recommendations of CTED are valuable tools that the coordinator can use to enhance strategic planning of capacity -building and technical assistance programmes for Member States. 4. The United States supports the proposal of the Secretary -General to establish a post of Under - Secretary - General to serve as the chair of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force and as the Executive Director of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre. The Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre should be moved from the Department of Political Affairs and placed directly under the Under -Secretary -General. To ensure minimal additional costs, we encourage the Secretary -General to retain the experienced staff of both the Task Force and the Centre. No ting the significant extrabudgetary contributions that currently fund the Centre and the Task Force operations, we encourage the new Under -Secretary -General to ensure the efficient use of funds, including the streamlining of operations, as appropriate. In addition, the Under -Secretary -General should also report to the Advisory Board of the Centre, which can provide the Under -Secretary -General with a regular forum in which to engage Member States as well as to receive resource contributions from Member States for the new offices activities. 5. The Under - Secretary -General should provide strategic planning for the 38 entities of Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force, expand the donor base and resources, facilitate engagement between United Nations Headqua rters and United Nations country teams, serve as a spokesperson and represent the Organization on issues related to the Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy, and engage Member States at a high level in capitals. The Under -Secretary -General should facilitate the implementation of the recommendations of the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, as recommended by the General Assembly in resolution 70/291. The coordinator should also work closely with other regional and expert forums, including the Global Counterterrorism Forum, to take advantage of work under way and avoid unnecessary and costly duplication of efforts. 6. To be most effective, the United States proposes the following qualifications for consideration. The candidate should: (a) Have achieved ministerial or equivalent rank, and have management qualifications and communications skills necessary to effectively rationalize and coordinate the work of the 38 entities of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force; (b) sectors; Enjoy credibility with the security, development, and human rights (c) Have a demonstrated record of professionalism and integrity, with a good record on countering corruption and increasing transparency. 50/58 17-05341 A/71/858 European Union 1. The European Union and its Member States support the proposal of the Secretary -General to strengthen the United Nations counter -terrorism architecture, both to create a post for a new Under -Secretary - General to implement, in a balanced manner, all four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and to reform some of the current offices into a more strategic entity, as presented at the informal meeting on 22 February 2017. This should count as a necessary first step in a process aimed at improving the role of the United Nations and its impact in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism. Our arguments and suggestions are as follows. Preventing violent extremism agenda 2. We strongly support the elements of the proposed office of counter -terrorism, including the role of the Under -Secretary-General, to address the prevention of violent extremism as a core part of their responsibility for implementation of the entire United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. Working under pillars I and IV of the Strategy on conditions conducive and human rights and the rule of law, a United Nations approach to the prevention of violent extremism can unlock resources and expertise and create impact around the world that have been sore ly lacking from much of the United Nations approach to counter -terrorism over the last decade. It bears repeating that preventing violent extremism has been welcomed as an initiative by the General Assembly. We fully endorse efforts by the United Nations t o react to this agenda -- and to the urgent terrorist threats so many of us face -- by embedding efforts to prevent violent extremism into the work of the new office. That means a comprehensive approach, often outside the counter -terrorism sphere. In implementing a comprehensive agenda, the proposed office and Under -Secretary-General need to pay specific attention to involvement of civil society, youth, women, local communities and victims of terrorism. A United Nations approach to counter terrorism that neglects the prevention of violent extremism agenda, as captured under pillars I and IV of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy would be a failure. Strengthening the United Nations ability to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism is for the benefit of the entire United Nations membership. 3. Suggestion 1 : the responsibilities of the proposed Under -Secretary -General and office need to reflect a clear balance and emphasis across all four pillars of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and be mindful of the strategic message that it sends. The mandate needs to reflect and promote a "whole of society" approach to countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism, drawing on the expertise of the United Nations in a wide variety of issues, including h uman rights, gender and development. 4. Suggestion 2 : the prevention of violent extremism agenda should not only be reflected in the mandate of the Under -Secretary - General, it should also be supported by the subsequent staffing arrangements, including the staff dedicated to preventing violent extremism. 5. Suggestion 3 : one key qualification for an applicant for the Under -Secretary General position should be that s/he has not only counter -terrorism and security experience, but also an understanding of wider United Nations policies such as human rights, gender equality and development, as well as a demonstrated ability to work inclusively, cooperating effectively with a range of stakeholders, including civil society actors, youth, women, local communities, vi ctims of terrorism, the private sector, religious leaders and academia. 17-05341 51/58 A/71/858 Strategy and long -term financial sustainability 6. We support the establishment of the proposed office and the post of Under Secretary -General for the office in order to provide better coherence and leadership in the strategic challenges we face. The added value of this new arrangement should be strengthening the ability of the United Nations to address counter -terrorism and to prevent violent extremism for the benefit of the entire membership of the Organization. We expect the new Under -Secretary -General to prioritize United Nations actions, to measure their impact and to evaluate their outcome against the proposed deliverables. We expect the Under -Secretary -General and office to have a mature and professional approach towards strategizing capacity -building, including by developing a framework for monitoring and evaluation of relevant programming and project design, implementation and follow -up, including through cooperation with actors outside the proposed office. Within the proposed office there will be a need to clearly distinguish between the responsibilities of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre (capacity -building, taking into account the important role played by other entities across the United Nations system in providing technical assistance and assessment of capacity -building needs) and the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force (coordination and policy work), including through considering having separate leadership and staffing in order to ensure financial sustainability of the office in the medium - to long -term, deconflict mandates and make appropriate use of the different skills and expertise required in each area. 7. Suggestion 4 : the responsibilities of the proposed Under -Secretary -General and office (capacity -building side) should include impact measurement, including through the development of a framework for integrating monitoring and evaluation into all aspects of relevant programming and project design, impl ementation and follow -up. 8. Suggestion 5 : the organizational structure of the proposed office should be evaluated in the medium - to long - term, including with the aim of separating technical assistance capabilities from those tasked with overall coordinati on and policy work. Coordination 9. We have continuously advocated for better United Nations coordination and coherence at the policy and capacity -building levels. 10. At the internal level: the proposed Under -Secretary -General should address the need for better institutional communication and cooperation among the relevant United Nations entities, including the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and those entities that can best support prevention, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN - Women), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations field offices. Within the mandates of the existing entities, the proposed Under -Secretary - General will have to invest on a daily basis in creating more linkages, fostering a spirit of systematic cooperation between the bodies mandated by the Security Council and the office and having a coherent cycle of assessment, programming, delivery, impact measurement and reporting. Coordination between the Counter -Terrorism Committee/CTED and the proposed office will be of the utmost importance in order to break the silos and avoid duplicated efforts, as well as competing or contradicting actions within the United Nations system. The entities of the United Nations should work complementarily on counter -terrorism and prevention of violent extremism policies and capacity building, supporting each other and exchanging views and information. 52/58 17-05341 A/71/858 11. At the external level: (a) there is a need for better external coordination between the United Nations and other international and regional organizations and forums, like the Global Counterterrorism Forum, in p articular in the area of capacity -building and exchanging good practices. The United Nations field offices and entities should play a more active role through clear guidance from the proposed Under -Secretary -General and office; (b) as indicated in the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, there is a need for enhanced communication of the United Nations focus and activities regarding counter -terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism to external stakeholders, in order to avoid duplication, crea te synergy and enhance practical cooperation with other international and regional organizations, forums and non -governmental actors: this means more than just representing the United Nations, it will require active liaising, exploring ways to enhance cooperation and communication. Overall, greater external coordination will also enhance the counter -terrorism and prevention of violent extremism profile of the United Nations, thereby establishing a United Nations counter -terrorism brand in the outside world and among citizens. 12. Suggestion 6 : the proposed Under - Secretary - General and office should be tasked with creating a more efficient method of engaging: (a) at the internal level with relevant United Nations entities, including crucial actors on the groun d, such as United Nations field offices and United Nations funds and programmes, so that they take the lead in the field, and also more effectively feed information to the proposed office; and (b) at the external level with other international and regional organizations and forums, such as the Global Counterterrorism Fund, to allow for a better coordinated and better communicated effort by the whole of the United Nations. 13. Suggestion 7 : the proposed Under - Secretary - General should consider implementing the recommendation contained in the Secretary -General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism to "launch a United Nations global communication strategy" on the United Nations efforts to prevent violent extremism, "grounded in United Nations core values of peace, tolerance, and human dignity" (para. 58 (e)). League of Arab States (sent by Oman on behalf of the League of Arab States) 1. The Arab Group believes that the new Under -Secretary -General the position is a positive step for the United Nations system to tackle more efficiently counter terrorism related issues. Furthermore, the Group believes that accepting the establishment of this post is directly linked to an agreement on its mandate. 2. The Arab Group stresses that the new post should have a clear mandate with a detailed job description. 3. The mandate of the post should include a provision to ensure that the incumbent of this post will not interfere, in any form, in the domestic affairs of Member States, in particular in their efforts to counter terrorism, and that he/she shall respect the principle of sovereignty and assist Member States only upon their request. This assurance should also be reflected explicitly in the resolution of the General Assembly establishing the post of Under -Secretary -General. 4. The Arab Group emphasizes that the Security Council and the General Assembly resolutions, including the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, represent the normative policy framework for the mandate of the new Under -Secretary -General. 17-05341 53/58 A/71/858 5. The Arab Group believes that the Global Strategy -related assistance and capacity -building efforts in all Member States, upon their request, must be the cornerstone of the responsibilities of the new Under -Secretary -General, and, thus, the Group understands that the status of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre and its financial resources shall not be changed. 6. Bearing in mind that the four pillars of the Strategy should be implemented in a comprehensive and balanced manner, and based on national priorities of Member States, the Arab Group believes that prevention of violent extremism conducive to terrorism, within the four pillars of the Strategy, is key and should also be a part of the responsibilities of the new Under - Secretary -General. 7. The structural reform of the Secretariat related to counter -terrorism should include eliminating or ending any sort of duplication or contradiction between the functions or activities being undertaken by the United Nations entities in charge of countering terrorism. 8. The Arab Group is of the view that the Under -Secretary -General should have meaningful resources. The Group would like to draw the attention of the Secretary General to the fact that the availability of financial resources from the regular budget of the United Nations is a crucial condition for the autonomy and impartiality on the new Under -Secretary -General; it is evident that the autonomy of the Under - Secretary -General would be enhanced by sustainable funding to carry out his/her agreed mandated tasks. 9. The Arab Group stresses the importance of the adequate representation of the Arab countries in the office of the new Under - Secretary -General, from the regular budget. 10. The Arab Group believes that the qualifications of the new Under -Secretary General are very important in implementing his or her mandate. 11. In this regard, the Arab Group would welcome the appointment of a consensual individual, who embodies standards of integrity, impartiality and competence, and demonstrates extensive experience, expertise and deep knowledge in the prevention and countering terrorism, as well as the ability to forge political compromises. 12. It is important to encompass the new Under -Secretary -General as a member of the Counter - Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) so as to enable him/her to participate in taking decisions on issues of strategic consequence. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (sent by Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) 1. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) believes that the review of the United Nations counter -terrorism architecture is a positive step for the United Nations system in order to tackle counter - terrorism -related issues more efficiently. In this regard, OIC believes that the creation of an office of counter terrorism, headed by an Under -Secretary -General, is directly linked to an agreement on its clear mandate and to a detailed job description. 2. The mandate of the proposed post should include a provision ensuring that the incumbent of this post will not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of Member States, in particular in their efforts to counter terrorism, that he/she shall respect the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular the principle of sovereignty, and shall assist Member States only upon their request. The mandate should also not include any form of monitoring or 54/58 17-05341 A/71/858 assessment of Member States. OIC intends to explicitly reflect this assurance in the resolution of the General Assembly on this issue. It is imperative that any new structure or office should not be used to establish new norms. 3. While OIC notes the stand -alone status of the office on counter -terrorism, it believes that the office should maintain a close interface and coordination with the Department of Political Affairs, as terrorism cannot be addressed in isolation from political contexts. 4. The structural reform of the Secretariat related to counter -terrorism should enhance coordination and coherence and prevent duplication and overlapping between the functions or activities being undertaken by the relevant United Nations entities in charge of countering terrorism. 5. OIC believes that implementation of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy in a comprehensive and balanced manner across its four pillars remains key, and that no pillar should be given priority over the other. Based on national priorities of Member States, and within the context of the creation of the office on counter -terrorism headed by an Under -Secretary -General, OIC believes that prevention of both terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, within the four pillars of the Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy, is important. In this regard, the OIC underscores the importance of addressing the root causes of terrorism. 6. For a balanced implementation of the Global Counter - Terrorism Strategy and to guarantee the autonomy, impartiality and predictability of the office of counter terrorism in providing technical assistance: (a) funding for any new structure or office should be met by regular budget; (b) extrabudgetary contributions should be limited to provision of technical assistance; and (c) the General Assembly should, however, allocate sufficient and sustainable funding from regular budget for capacity -building to meet the needs of Member States, upon their request, in an impartial, balanced and sustainable manner. 7. OIC attaches great importance to the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre and, in this regard, would like to reiterate that no funds of the Centre shall be used to pay for any of the costs attached to the creation of the office of counter - terrorism and that the Centre's funds shall be dedicated to its projects. 8. In this connection, OIC attaches great importance to the Advisory Board of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre and would like to maintain Saudi Arabia's status as head of the Advisory Board, and to maintain the overall structure and role of the Advisory Board (the Islamic Republic of Iran dissociates with this point). 9. To lead the office of counter -terrorism, OIC would welcome the appointment of an individual who embodies standards of integrity, impartiality and competence, and demonstrates extensive experience, expertise and deep knowledge in the prevention and countering of terrorism. 10. It would be important to include the head of the office of counter -terrorism as a member in the Counter -Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) to enable him/her to participate in taking decisions on issues of strategic consequences. 11. OIC requests that the Secretary -General provide, in his final report, options regarding the proper/adequate staffing requirements of the newly established office of counter -terrorism headed by an Under - Secretary -General. 12. OIC suggests that OIC countries be adequately represented in the office of the new Under -Secretary - General as well as in the office of counter - terrorism by establishing posts financed from the regular budget. 17-05341 55/58 A/71/858 13. To conclude, OIC recalls that the in the preamble of its resolution 70/291, the General Assembly stated that "terrorism and violent extremism, as and when conducive to terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group". It is imperative that the United Nations not only upholds this principle but also discourages any effort to the contrary. 56/58 17-05341 A/71/858 Annex II Terms of reference for the Advisory Board of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre Background The United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre is being created to support the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy. The Centre will be established within the office of the Counter -Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The Chair of the Task Force will be Executive Director of the Centre, supported by a small team of Professional and General Service staff members who will run the day - to -day activities. The work of the Centre must be consistent with the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and its follow -up resolutions. The work of the Centre will be managed under the United Nations rules and regulations. Objectives The key objectives of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre include: (a) To support the implementation of all four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy (resolution 60/288); (b) (c) To foster international cooperation in the field of counter -terrorism; To help address the capacity -building needs of Member States; (d) To promote awareness of the United Nations Global Counter -Terrorism Strategy and develop a comprehensive database of counter -terrorism best practices around the world; (e) To organize international, regional and national workshops and conferences to promote awareness, build capacities and strengthen political support for the efforts of the United Nations in the field of counter -terrorism. Responsibilities of the Advisory Board The Advisory Board will be established to provide guidance to the Executive Director on the annual programmes and the budget of the United Nations Counter Terrorism Centre. The Executive Director of the Centre will be responsible for mana ging all of its operations. The guidance of the Advisory Board will be taken into account by the Executive Director. Membership The United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre will be supported by an Advisory Board of up to 20 Member States. The Member States on the Advisory Board will be represented at the Permanent Representative level at the United Nations in New York. 17-05341 57/58 A/71/858 Terms of service Members of the Advisory Board will serve for a 3 - year term. Chairmanship In recognition of the efforts of Saudi Arabia towards the establishment of the United Nations Counter -Terrorism Centre, the Secretary -General has asked the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to serve as Chair of the Advisory Board for the first three years. A successor will be designated by the Advisory Board. The Chair of the Centre will be an ex officio member and Secretary of the Advisory Board. Supporting structure The office of the Counter - Terrorism Implementation Task Force will provide the Advisory Board with the biannual financial, administrative, budgetary and all other reports of the United Nations Counter - Terrorism Centre, as requested by the Board. Meetings The Advisory Board will be called to meet regularly twice a year, and may be called exceptionally, as needed. 58/58 17-05341