Counter-terrorism

The United Kingdom remains committed to the fight against international terrorism. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for co-ordinating the UK's international counter-terrorism policy. This aims to achieve one of the FCO’s most important strategic objectives for the next five to ten years: Making the world safer from global terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

 

The UK Mission to the United Nations in New York (UKMIS) carries out an important element of the UK’s counter-terrorism policy. This seeks to promote a co-operative international response to terrorism by engaging all UN Member States to introduce or strengthen measures to combat terrorist activities. These goals are pursued by the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). When it was established in the aftermath of September 11, UKMIS was instrumental in setting the pace and standard for the CTC’s work in enhancing global counter-terrorism capacity. The UK remains an active member of the CTC, assisting with its development to enhance its dialogue with Member States and the international community, and strengthening its support structure to help fulfil these objectives.

 

UKMIS is also an active participant of the Al-Qaida-Taliban Sanctions Committee. This Committee imposed sanctions designed to stem the terrorist activities of Al-Qaida and the Taliban long before September 11 took place. These consist of an assets freeze, a travel ban and an arms embargo. UKMIS fully supports the Committee’s efforts to refine and develop the measures as the threat from Al-Qaida and the Taliban changes.

 

On 30 June the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1822, renewing the sanctions against the list of named members of the Taliban and reviewing procedures on listing.  The UK Permanent Representative briefed the UN press, the full transcript is available.

 

UK domestic counter-terrorism policy is the responsibility of the Home Office.