United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 is a counter-terrorism measure adopted September 28 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United StatesUN document |docid=S-RES-1373(2001) |type=Resolution |body=Security Council |year=2001 |accessdate=2007-09-06] .The resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, and is therefore binding on all UN member states.

The resolution aimed to place barriers on the movement, organization and fund-raising activities of terrorist groups. UN member states were encouraged to share their intelligence on terrorist groups in order to assist in combating international terrorism. The resolution also calls on all states to adjust their national laws so that they can ratify all of the existing International conventions on terrorism.

The resolution established the Security Council's Counter Terrorism Committee [CTC] to monitor state compliance with is provisions.

However, the resolution failed to define 'Terrorism', and the working group initially only added Al-Qaida and the Taliban regime of Afghanistan on the sanctions list. This also entailed the danger that authoritarian regimes could label even non-violent activities as terrorist acts, hurting thus basic human rights.

The absence of any specific reference to human rights considerations was remedied in part by Resolution 1456 (2003)which declared that "States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, and should adopt such measures in accordance with international law, in particular international human rights, refugee, and humanitarian law."

UN Security Council Resolution 1566 picked up loose ends from 1373 by actually spelling out what the Security Council sees as terrorism:

"criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act."

Although this definition has operative effect for the purposes of Security Council action, it does not represent a definition of "terrorism" which binds all states in international law. That is a task which would could only be achieved by way of agreeing to an international treaty under the auspices of the UN General Assembly. Negotiations towards agreeing to such are ongoing, and a Comprehensive Convention exists in draft form, however agreement to its exact terms, most particularly the definition of "terrorism", remains elusive.

Resolution 1566 also called for the creation of a working group that will expand the list of terrorist entities under sanction beyond the Taliban and Al-Qaida.

Notes

External links

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* [http://www.un.org/docs/sc/committees/1373/ UN Counter Terrorism Committee]
* [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/sc7158.doc.htm UN press release on adopted resolution]
* [http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/S.RES.1456+(2003).En?Opendocument Text of Resolution 1456 (2003)]
* [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/gal3292.doc.htm GA Press Notice on Draft Comprehensive Convention]