SECURITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTS WIDE-RANGING ANTI-TERRORISM RESOLUTION;
CALLS FOR SUPPRESSING FINANCING, IMPROVING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Resolution 1373 (2001) Also Creates Committee to Monitor Implementation
Reaffirming its
unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist acts that took place in New
York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on 11 September, the Security
Council this evening unanimously adopted a wide-ranging, comprehensive
resolution with steps and strategies to combat international terrorism.
By resolution 1373 (2001) the Council also
established a Committee of the Council to monitor the resolution’s
implementation and called on all States to report on actions they had
taken to that end no later than 90 days from today.
Under terms of the text, the Council
decided that all States should prevent and suppress the financing of
terrorism, as well as criminalize the wilful provision or collection of
funds for such acts. The funds, financial assets and economic resources
of those who commit or attempt to commit terrorist acts or participate
in or facilitate the commission of terrorist acts and of persons and
entities acting on behalf of terrorists should also be frozen without
delay.
The Council also decided that States should
prohibit their nationals or persons or entities in their territories
from making funds, financial assets, economic resources, financial or
other related services available to persons who commit or attempt to
commit, facilitate or participate in the commission of terrorist acts.
States should also refrain from providing any form of support to
entities or persons involved in terrorist acts; take the necessary steps
to prevent the commission of terrorist acts; deny safe haven to those
who finance, plan, support, commit terrorist acts and provide safe
havens as well.
By other terms, the Council decided that all States
should prevent those who finance, plan, facilitate or commit terrorist
acts from using their respective territories for those purposes against
other countries and their citizens. States should also ensure that
anyone who has participated in the financing, planning, preparation or
perpetration of terrorist acts or in supporting terrorist acts is
brought to justice. They should also ensure that terrorist acts are
established as serious criminal offences in domestic laws and
regulations and that the seriousness of such acts is duly reflected in
sentences served.
Also by the text, the Council called on all
States to intensify and accelerate the exchange of information regarding
terrorist actions or movements; forged or falsified documents; traffic
in arms and sensitive material; use of communications and technologies
by terrorist groups; and the threat posed by the possession of weapons
of mass destruction.
States were also called on to exchange information
and cooperate to prevent and suppress terrorist acts and to take action
against the perpetrators of such acts. States should become parties to,
and fully implement as soon as possible, the relevant international
conventions and protocols to combat terrorism.
By the text, before granting refugee status, all
States should take appropriate measures to ensure that the asylum
seekers had not planned, facilitated or participated in terrorist acts.
Further, States should ensure that refugee status was not abused by the
perpetrators, organizers or facilitators of terrorist acts, and that
claims of political motivation were not recognized as grounds for
refusing requests for the extradition of alleged terrorists.
The Council noted with
concern the close connection between international terrorism and
transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, money laundering and
illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly
materials. In that regard, it emphasized the need to enhance the
coordination of national, subregional, regional and international
efforts to strengthen a global response to that threat to international
security.
Reaffirming the need to combat by all
means, in accordance with the Charter, threats to international peace
and security caused by terrorist acts, the Council expressed its
determination to take all necessary steps to fully implement the current
resolution.
The meeting, which began at 10:50 p.m., adjourned at 10:53 p.m.
Resolution
The full text of resolution 1373 (2001) reads as follows:
“The Security Council,
“Reaffirming its resolutions 1269 (1999) of 19 October 1999 and 1368 (2001) of 12 September 2001,
“Reaffirming also its unequivocal
condemnation of the terrorist attacks which took place in New York,
Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on 11 September 2001, and expressing
its determination to prevent all such acts,
“Reaffirming further that such acts, like any act of international terrorism, constitute a threat to international peace and security,
“Reaffirming the inherent right of
individual or collective self-defence as recognized by the Charter of
the United Nations as reiterated in resolution 1368 (2001),
“Reaffirming the need to combat by all
means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to
international peace and security caused by terrorist acts,
“Deeply concerned by the increase, in various regions of the world, of acts of terrorism motivated by intolerance or extremism,
“Calling on States to work together
urgently to prevent and suppress terrorist acts, including through
increased cooperation and full implementation of the relevant
international conventions relating to terrorism,
“Recognizing the need for States to
complement international cooperation by taking additional measures to
prevent and suppress, in their territories through all lawful means, the
financing and preparation of any acts of terrorism,
“Reaffirming the principle established by
the General Assembly in its declaration of October 1970 (resolution
2625 (XXV)) and reiterated by the Security Council in its resolution
1189 (1998) of 13 August 1998, namely that every State has the duty to
refrain from organizing, instigating, assisting or participating in
terrorist acts in another State or acquiescing in organized activities
within its territory directed towards the commission of such acts,
“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
“1. Decides that all States shall:
“(a) Prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts;
“(b) Criminalize the wilful provision or
collection, by any means, directly or indirectly, of funds by their
nationals or in their territories with the intention that the funds
should be used, or in the knowledge that they are to be used, in order
to carry out terrorist acts;
“(c) Freeze without delay funds and other
financial assets or economic resources of persons who commit, or attempt
to commit, terrorist acts or participate in or facilitate the
commission of terrorist acts; of entities owned or controlled directly
or indirectly by such persons; and of persons and entities acting on
behalf of, or at the direction of such persons and entities, including
funds derived or generated from property owned or controlled directly or
indirectly by such persons and associated persons and entities;
“(d) Prohibit their nationals or any persons
and entities within their territories from making any funds, financial
assets or economic resources or financial or other related services
available, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of persons who commit
or attempt to commit or facilitate or participate in the commission of
terrorist acts, of entities owned or controlled, directly or indirectly,
by such persons and of persons and entities acting on behalf of or at
the direction of such persons;
“2. Decides also that all States shall:
“(a) Refrain from providing any form of
support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist
acts, including by suppressing recruitment of members of terrorist
groups and eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists;
“(b) Take the necessary steps to prevent the
commission of terrorist acts, including by provision of early warning to
other States by exchange of information;
“(c) Deny safe haven to those who finance, plan, support, or commit terrorist acts, or provide safe havens;
“(d) Prevent those who finance, plan,
facilitate or commit terrorist acts from using their respective
territories for those purposes against other States or their citizens;
“(e) Ensure that any person who participates in
the financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts
or in supporting terrorist acts is brought to justice and ensure that,
in addition to any other measures against them, such terrorist acts are
established as serious criminal offences in domestic laws and
regulations and that the punishment duly reflects the seriousness of
such terrorist acts;
“(f) Afford one another the greatest measure of
assistance in connection with criminal investigations or criminal
proceedings relating to the financing or support of terrorist acts,
including assistance in obtaining evidence in their possession necessary
for the proceedings;
“(g) Prevent the movement of terrorists or
terrorist groups by effective border controls and controls on issuance
of identity papers and travel documents, and through measures for
preventing counterfeiting, forgery or fraudulent use of identity papers
and travel documents;
“3. Calls upon all States to:
“(a) Find ways of intensifying and accelerating
the exchange of operational information, especially regarding actions
or movements of terrorist persons or networks; forged or falsified
travel documents; traffic in arms, explosives or sensitive materials;
use of communications technologies by terrorist groups; and the threat
posed by the possession of weapons of mass destruction by terrorist
groups;
“(b) Exchange information in accordance with
international and domestic law and cooperate on administrative and
judicial matters to prevent the commission of terrorist acts;
“(c) Cooperate, particularly through bilateral
and multilateral arrangements and agreements, to prevent and suppress
terrorist attacks and take action against perpetrators of such acts;
“(d) Become parties as soon as possible to the
relevant international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism,
including the International Convention for the Suppression of the
Financing of Terrorism of 9 December 1999;
“(e) Increase cooperation and fully implement
the relevant international conventions and protocols relating to
terrorism and Security Council resolutions 1269 (1999) and 1368 (2001);
“(g) Ensure, in conformity with international
law, that refugee status is not abused by the perpetrators, organizers
or facilitators of terrorist acts, and that claims of political
motivation are not recognized as grounds for refusing requests for the
extradition of alleged terrorists;
“4. Notes with concern the close
connection between international terrorism and transnational organized
crime, illicit drugs, money-laundering, illegal arms-trafficking, and
illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other potentially
deadly materials, and in this regard emphasizes the need to
enhance coordination of efforts on national, subregional, regional and
international levels in order to strengthen a global response to this
serious challenge and threat to international security;
“5. Declares that acts, methods, and
practices of terrorism are contrary to the purposes and principles of
the United Nations and that knowingly financing, planning and inciting
terrorist acts are also contrary to the purposes and principles of the
United Nations;
“6. Decides to establish, in accordance
with rule 28 of its provisional rules of procedure, a Committee of the
Security Council, consisting of all the members of the Council, to
monitor implementation of this resolution, with the assistance of
appropriate expertise, and calls upon all States to report to the
Committee, no later than 90 days from the date of adoption of this
resolution and thereafter according to a timetable to be proposed by the
Committee, on the steps they have taken to implement this resolution;
“7. Directs the Committee to delineate
its tasks, submit a work programme within 30 days of the adoption of
this resolution, and to consider the support it requires, in
consultation with the Secretary-General;
“8. Expresses its determination to take
all necessary steps in order to ensure the full implementation of this
resolution, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter;
“9. Decides to remain seized of this matter.”
