Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the Joint Briefing by the Chairs of the Counter-Terrorism-Related Committees

Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the Joint Briefing by the Chairs of the Counter-Terrorism-Related Committees

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Mr. President,

Like others, I thank today’s briefers for providing extensive information on the activities of the respective Committees.

We highly commend the dedicated efforts of the 3 Committees’ Chairs, as well as the work of the expert groups, aimed at comprehensive implementation of the relevant UNSC resolutions and promoting an effective international cooperation among all stakeholders to achieve the objectives set by these instruments.

We welcome the close collaboration of 1267 and 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committees in overseeing the implementation of specific counter terrorism measures established by the Security Council, promoting international cooperation in this field, detecting possible gaps in the existing regulations, as well as introducing sanctions measures with regard to individuals and entities engaged in terrorist activities.

Good examples of such teamwork is the cooperation of the 1267 Committee Monitoring Team with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate on identifying the emergence of new threats posed by ISIL and its affiliates worldwide, sharing thematic reports and holding joint Committees’ meeting on the topic of depriving terrorists from their sources of funding.

Notwithstanding the recent achievements in the suppression of international terrorist threats posed by ISIL, especially of its financing, there are still problems that require cohesive actions to be taken both by the two Committees and by the UN membership at large.

Among our present tasks are the prevention of terrorism spread to other regions by stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters; the introduction of comprehensive strategies for dealing with returnees, who may endanger internal security of their states of origin; countering the propaganda of terrorism and violent extremism; as well as combating abuse of information and communications technologies for terrorist purposes, to name a few. We are pleased to note that these topics are duly reflected in the Committees’ programmes of work.

We also commend the pace kept by the expert groups in conducting the country visits and producing credible reports and recommendations, aimed at strengthening national counter-terrorism mechanisms.

Apart from the activities of the international community in combating terrorism outbreaks on a global level, we also should not forget about available tools to exert pressure on terrorists within the existing sanctions framework, reinforced by recent UNSC resolution 2253. In this respect, Ukraine supports the call for introducing a wide range of targeted counter-terrorism sanctions to disrupt terrorists financing and travelling to conflict regions.

Mr. President,

Ever since 2004, UNSC resolution 1540 has played a crucial role in strengthening global and regional non-proliferation efforts.

Ukraine, as a state with a nuclear-weapon-past and a full-fledged Party to the NPT, CWC and BWC, is strongly committed to implementation of resolution 1540 and applies every effort to prevent non-state actors from acquiring materials and technologies that could be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

At the same time, despite the measures taken by Member States to prevent proliferation risks, we are witnessing growing and even more complicated threats in this area. On the one hand, the risks may arise not only from poor national legislation in place but also from the rapid development of science and technology coupled with a lack of threat awareness among academia, industry and civil society.

On the other hand, international legal prohibitions have little relevance to terrorists and criminals who might be tempted to engage in attacks using chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials (CBRN). Unlike states, non-state actors pursue their hostile intentions and are prone to unconventional and highly unpredictable actions. Moreover, the erosion of the existing world order, continuous breaches and unaddressed violations of international law and the ongoing conflicts in different parts of the globe continue to weaken CBRN security architecture as a whole.

With a view to tackling the growing threat of WMD proliferation globally, we support the initiatives aimed at further strengthening the role and potential of resolution 1540 for a long-term perspective, such as recent establishment of the 1540 Group of Friends, which we fully support. Ukraine welcomes the constructive and result-oriented approach of the Spanish Chairmanship in the process of the Comprehensive Review of the resolution’s implementation to be accomplished by December 2016. It is important that this process will focus also on the ways to ensure that the relevant international legal norms are fully respected and implemented by all Member States.

Ukraine stands ready to engage constructively with all like-minded partners on these crucial matters.

Mr. President,

To conclude my intervention, I would like to reiterate that while terrorism and the risk of WMD proliferation by non-State actors continue to pose a serious threat to international peace and security, there is a persistent need to ensure a close and effective cooperation and coordination between the relevant subsidiary bodies of the Security Council, in particular in the outreach activities and country visits conducted within their respective mandates, as well as in the exchange of information.

I thank you for your attention.