Terror Threat Grows Complex as Extremists Go High-Tech

The Security Council was briefed today by the heads of three of its subsidiary bodies - which relate to Da'esh, Al-Qaida, UN counter-terrorism efforts and measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors - hearing that the threat posed by terrorism continues to evolve, especially in Africa, as malign actors exploit new technologies to pursue dangerous ends.

That threat "remains dynamic and geographically diverse", said Sandra Jensen Landi (Denmark), Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (also known as Da'esh), Al-Qaida and their affiliates. It is most prevalent in Africa, where these groups and their affiliates continue to exploit social-media platforms to glorify violence, recruit youth and raise funds. She added that their use of cryptocurrency poses a growing challenge to sanctions implementation.

"Overall, [Da'esh] and Al-Qaida have proven resilient, adaptive and opportunistic, exploiting regional instability, weak governance and emerging technologies to sustain relevance and project influence," she reported. Underscoring the need for continued vigilance, she outlined the Committee's work in 2025. This includes its approval of 19 of 32 requested travel-ban exemptions and none of the seven asset-freeze-exemption requests it received, and she also noted that the Committee's sanctions list currently comprises 252 individuals and 89 entities.

Sanctions Must Respect Human Rights, Rule of Law

In her national capacity, she recalled that, with resolution 2734 (2024), the Council recognized sexual and gender-based violence as a tactic of terrorism and grounds for listing under that sanctions regime - a welcome milestone that must be actively applied. Calling for the increased listing of relevant persons and entities, she emphasized that all sanctions must respect human rights and the rule of law.

Amar Bendjama (Algeria), Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism, similarly pointed to an evolving terrorist threat with an epicentre in Africa. Terrorist groups are rapidly expanding their use of the Internet, social media, artificial intelligence (AI) and gaming platforms for propaganda, recruitment, fundraising and operational planning. He also stressed that their growing links with organized crime and increased use of unmanned aircraft systems further underscore the urgency of strengthening collective responses.

Highlighting three areas of the Committee's work, he said that it visited Austria, Cameroon, Chad, Hungary, Malta, Norway, Somalia and Turkmenistan to assess implementation efforts - enabling direct dialogue, identifying technical challenges and guiding follow-up. Also detailing the Committee's other two priorities - facilitating technical assistance and promoting implementation - he added that the subsidiary body is committed to ensuring that counter-terrorism measures comply with international law and to integrating gender perspectives throughout its work.

Next Chair Should Prioritize Substance, Human Impact

"To our successor at the helm of this Committee", he said in his national capacity, "listen to those who suffer terrorism's impact daily". He also urged the next Chair to "prioritize substance over process" and to "never forget that, behind every statistic, is a human tragedy". He also spotlighted the "Algeria Guiding Principles" - adopted during his country's tenure as Chair - that "represent a precious framework addressing how terrorists exploit cryptocurrency and emerging financial technologies".

Eloy Alfaro de Alba (Panama), Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), noted that such resolution was a "crucial moment in international efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation architecture by addressing the threat posed by proliferation on the part of non-State actors, especially for terrorist purposes". Detailing its activities over the reporting period, he said that the Committee will co-organize, with Panama, a training course for the Committee's national points of contact in Latin America and the Caribbean over 15-17 December in Panama City.

He also described the Committee's efforts to update the mechanism by which it matches Member States' requests for, and offers of, assistance in implementing their obligations under the resolution. Further, he reported that the Committee held four formal meetings in 2025 and, in September, approved its voluntary technical reference guide on export controls. That guide is published on the Committee's website, and he added that, in response to the Council's request, that website continues to be a tool for public awareness and serves as the primary source of information and resources on the resolution.

In his national capacity, he said that, although these three committees have distinct mandates, "their efforts converge on a common goal - strengthening the global architecture that underpins international peace and security". He also detailed Panama's efforts to strengthen national regulatory frameworks, improve its capacity to identify risks and to function "above all, as a responsible financial centre".

Stronger Coordination among Counter-Terrorism Committees Needed

"With terrorist networks expanding and operations becoming increasingly sophisticated, close coordination among the three committees - focusing on sanctions, capacity-building and non-proliferation tools - is essential", said the representative of the Republic of Korea. He, too, pointed to national efforts, noting that Seoul is participating in a new collaborative project to help national security institutions in South and South-East Asia strengthen oversight, training and capacity-building on misconduct investigations. This will enhance the promotion of human rights in regional counter-terrorism operations, he said.

Greece's representative also pointed to the Committees' distinct mandates but shared goal, stating that their complementary work highlights the need for coherent, coordinated and human-rights-based implementation that combines sanctions, capacity-building and non-proliferation measures under a unified multilateral framework. And she also noted national efforts - from 11-14 November, Greece organized a workshop on maritime border security enforcement under the framework of resolution 1540 (2004).

The representative of Sierra Leone, Council President for November, spoke in his national capacity to report that his country initiated, in 2025, an informal interactive dialogue on enhancing counter-terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel. Further, it enacted national counter-terrorism legislation in 2024, establishing a national coordination mechanism and strengthening legal, financial and enforcement measures. He also welcomed the Council's 24 January 2025 presidential statement, which renewed the organ's focus on terrorism in Africa.

In that vein, Somalia's representative noted "with serious concern" the assessment that the terrorist threat remains dynamic and geographically diverse, with a troubling shift towards Africa. Noting that Da'esh and Al-Qaida have shown an alarming capacity to adapt, he stressed: "This flexibility demands a response that is equally agile and unified, particularly in support of African nations now bearing the brunt of these threats."

In addition to drawing attention to the worrying situation in the Sahel, the representative of the Russian Federation stressed that there is a "clear risk of terrorism spilling over [from Afghanistan] into Central Asia and beyond". She voiced particular concern over the growing threat posed by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province, which employs foreign terrorist fighters and utilizes weapons left behind by Western forces.

Terrorist Use of New Tools Advancing Faster Than Countermeasures

Many Council members expressed concern over another aspect - the evolving threat posed by terrorist use of new methodology. "The use of new and emerging technologies by terrorist groups is advancing faster than States' ability to counter them effectively," observed Slovenia's representative. Urging greater investment in preventive measures and technological safeguards, she also called for comprehensive, "whole-of-society" approaches to countering the threat. Guyana's representative expressed similar concern, welcoming the "Algeria Guiding Principles" to prevent and disrupt terrorist use of new financial technologies.

Another area of focus was on the listing procedure for counter-terrorism-related sanctions. France's representative, noting the expansion of both Al-Qaida and Da'esh across multiple regions, welcomed the 1267 Committee's recent designation of an individual linked to the latter in East Africa - the first in nearly two years - and called for more agile, objective action on future listings. The representative of China, for his part, urged members of that Committee to support the listing of the Balochistan Liberation Army and its Majeed Brigade, "sending a strong signal of zero-tolerance for terrorism".

Pakistan's representative said that the 1267 Committee's sanctions regime must "reflect ground realities", and that listing and delisting issues must be dealt with "in a fair, transparent and judicious manner and without political considerations". He also stressed that, to adopt a zero-tolerance approach, the UN's counter-terrorism architecture "must also possess the necessary tools to designate violent, far-right, extreme right-wing, ultranationalist, xenophobic and Islamophobic groups around the world".

Noting that only one addition to the sanctions list has been made since 2023, the representative of the United States stressed that designating Da'esh and Al-Qaida targets "should be an apolitical issue". He therefore called on members of the 1267 Committee to "set aside differences as they consider nominations". Joining others in underlining the need for new designations that are well-evidenced against the listing criteria, the representative of the United Kingdom warned: "Politicization of the Committee's listing process only serves the interests of the very Al-Qaida and Da'esh terrorists we should be disrupting."