DISEC: Multilateral Responses to Violent Extremist Organisations and Transnational Armed Groups

Committee: United Nations General Assembly First Committee — Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)
Agenda: Enhancing Multilateral Responses to the Security Threats Posed by Violent Extremist Organizations and Transnational Armed Groups
Sponsors: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Signatories: Afghanistan, Algeria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Türkiye, Uganda, United States of America, Vietnam

What the resolution does

The resolution's first operative clause urges member states, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017), to adopt and fund systems through the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund and the Technology Accelerator Platform to detect terrorists and foreign fighters at borders through biometric verification and advanced screening, and encourages AI-aided drones for surveillance and modern border management.

On legal accountability, it calls on member states to strengthen domestic legislation by establishing clear and enforceable criminal penalties against individuals, organisations or entities directly or indirectly supporting terrorism, in conformity with Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014). It recommends enhanced judicial cooperation, extradition mechanisms and sanctions on member states financing violent extremist organisations and transnational armed groups, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1267 (1999).

On financing, it encourages member states to strengthen national regulatory frameworks for virtual assets by implementing Financial Action Task Force standards while enhancing intelligence-sharing under Security Council Resolution 2462 (2019), and promotes cooperation between banks and member states through Enhanced Due Diligence structures allowing thorough screening of customer financial activity for suspicious transactions.

On the online dimension, it invites member states to expand public-private partnerships with technology companies and social media platforms through initiatives such as the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism to counter extremist content, while ensuring full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It advocates responsible reporting by mainstream media to reduce the spread of extremist propaganda, and support for digital literacy and counter-extremism education programmes, particularly for young people.

It requests a two-year periodic review of counter-terrorism instruments by regional bodies including the African Union and the European Union, to ensure they remain effective against evolving threats while fully respecting international human rights law and international humanitarian law. And it emphasises the Palermo Convention and Security Council Resolution 2195 (2014) for improved cross-border law enforcement cooperation, alongside capacity-building through training, equipment and technical assistance for affected member states.

What the preamble records

The preamble notes the effects of weak and porous borders, including the displacement of lives and property and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons; the inconsistent implementation of legal sanctions; terrorist financing through shell companies and illicit financial networks; and grooming and indoctrination through digital platforms.

It records that despite Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001), existing frameworks remain insufficient. It notes with deep concern that root causes such as poverty and unemployment are treated as secondary to military responses rather than addressed alongside them. And it bears in mind the global rise in the misuse of firearms by unauthorised individuals, including minors, citing reports of Behavioural Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression (2020).

In the room

Three blocs formed during negotiations: the Bloc of the Elite, the Cooperative Bloc, and a third bloc. Their working papers diverged on where the problem lay — the first treating it as a gap in technology and enforcement, the second as one of state accountability, the third as social and economic. The Cooperative Bloc's proposal for a legally binding instrument against the accommodation of terrorist groups does not appear among the operative clauses; the third bloc's concerns regarding firearms and root causes appear in the preamble.

DISEC's was the first resolution read at Wednesday's closing plenary. The delegate of Pakistan questioned the biometrics and drone provision as too vague, noting biometrics would do little against fighters moving through forested terrain; DISEC replied that the drones were intended solely for surveillance rather than border control, with border protection resting on alliances between neighbouring states. The delegate of China asked what would prevent intelligence-sharing arrangements from infringing on participating states' sovereignty; DISEC cited Nigeria and Cameroon as neighbouring states for whom the question would not arise, adding that any disputes could be handled between the parties involved.
The resolution then passed.