Security Council Resolution 2370 (2017) [on Preventing Terrorists From Acquiring Weapons]

S/RES/2370 (2017)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Security Council, under agenda item 31 Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, published in 2017.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Counter-Terrorism Illicit Arms Trafficking Small Arms Terrorism

What’s in this document?

24 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms its decision in resolution 1373 (2001) that all States shall refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists, and stresses the importance of full and effective implementation of the relevant resolutions and appropriately addressing the issues related to the lack thereof;

Calls upon all states to consider becoming party to the related international and regional instruments, with a view to help eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists, and to fully implement their respective obligations under those to which they are a party;

Reaffirms its intention to take appropriate measures, when needed, to strengthen relevant arms embargos’ monitoring mechanisms which can help ensure the elimination of the supply of weapons to terrorists, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions;

Encourages Member States to take appropriate steps in accordance with international law to prevent and disrupt activity that would result in violations of relevant Council-mandated arms embargos;

Recognizes the need for Member States to undertake appropriate measures consistent with international law to address the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, in particular to terrorists, including by enhancing, where appropriate and consistent with their domestic legal frameworks, national systems for collection and analysis of detailed data on illicit trafficking of such weapons to terrorists, and putting in place, where they do not exist, adequate laws, regulations and administrative procedures to exercise effective control over the production, export, import, brokering, transit or retransfer of small arms and light weapons within their areas of jurisdiction, taking into consideration the “Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects” in order to prevent the illicit trafficking to terrorists of such weapons;

Urges Member States to undertake, as appropriate, the following measures, on the national level, to eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists:

Ensure the ability to take appropriate legal actions against those who are knowingly engaged in providing terrorists with weapons;

Ensure proper physical security and management for stockpiles of small arms and light weapons;

Encourage the implementation of marking and tracing procedures of small arms and light weapons to improve traceability of such weapons which could be provided to terrorists through illicit trafficking;

Strengthen, where appropriate, their judicial, law enforcement and border-control capacities, and developing their investigation capabilities of arms-trafficking networks to address the link between transnational organized crime and terrorism;

Emphasizes the importance of Member States taking appropriate measures, at the national, regional and international levels, in accordance with international law, and consistent with their domestic legal framework, to prevent the illicit trafficking of weapons to terrorists in conflict areas, and to prevent, within this context, looting or acquiring small arms and light weapons from national stockpiles by terrorists, and stresses in this regard on the importance of assisting States in those regions to enable them to monitor and control stockpiles of small arms and light weapons, in order to prevent terrorists from acquiring them;

Urges Member States to enhance, as appropriate, international and regional cooperation regarding training on good practices, in coordination with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the World Customs Organization;

Urges Member States to fully implement the “Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects” and the International Tracing Instrument in order to assist in preventing terrorists from acquiring small arms and light weapons, in particular in conflict and post-conflict areas;

Calls upon Member States to raise awareness to the threats of IEDs, and enhance the institutional capabilities and resources for preventing and countering such threats, including by collaborating with the private sector;

Recalls its decision that Member States, in order to prevent ISIL (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities from obtaining, handling, storing, using or seeking access to all types of explosives, whether military, civilian or improvised explosives, as well as to raw materials and components that can be used to manufacture IEDs or unconventional weapons, including (but not limited to) chemical components, detonators, detonating cord, or poisons, shall undertake appropriate measures to promote the exercise of enhanced vigilance by their nationals, persons subject to their jurisdiction and entities incorporated in their territory or subject to their jurisdiction that are involved in the production, sale, supply, purchase, transfer and storage of such materials, including through the issuance of good practices, and further encourages Member States to share information, establish partnerships, and develop national strategies and capabilities to counter IEDs;

Encourages Member States, as appropriate, to strengthen cooperation and the exchange of good practices with civil society, the public and private sectors, including with representatives of industry in combating the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in small arms and light weapons and improvised explosive devices, including awareness-raising;

Urges Member States to act cooperatively to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons, including through information and communications technologies, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and in compliance with obligations under international law, and stresses the importance of cooperation with civil society and the private sector in this endeavour, including through establishing public private partnerships;

Stresses the importance of international cooperation to prevent and eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists, and encourages Member States in this regard to enhance in particular their judicial and law enforcement cooperation, consistent with their international obligations and domestic legal framework;

Emphasizes the importance of enhancing cooperation and coordination among the relevant UN entities, and in particular the relevant Security Council sanctions committees and subsidiary bodies, to assist in preventing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists;

Directs the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC), with the support of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) to continue as appropriate, within their respective mandates, to examine Member States efforts to eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists, as relevant to the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) with the aim of identifying good practices, gaps and vulnerabilities in this field;

Encourages in this regard the CTC, with the support of CTED, as well as the UNOCT to continue working together to facilitate technical assistance and capacity building and to raise awareness in the field of eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists, in particular by strengthening its dialogue with States and relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and working closely, including by sharing information, with relevant bilateral and multilateral technical assistance providers;

Directs the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (also known as Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, to continue to focus, including in its reports and updates, on the threat of supplying weapons to ISIL, (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities;

Encourages the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team to coordinate its efforts to monitor and respond to the threat posed by supplying weapons to ISIL, (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities, with other United Nations counter-terrorism bodies, in particular CTED, as well as with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA);

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents