The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is a unique global instrument to enhance national, regional and international efforts to counter terrorism. Through its adoption by consensus in 2006, all UN Member States agreed the first time to a common strategic and operational approach to fighting terrorism.
The Strategy does not only send a clear message that terrorism is unacceptable in all its forms and manifestations but it also resolves to take practical steps, individually and collectively, to prevent and combat terrorism. Those practical steps include a wide array of measures ranging from strengthening state capacity to counter terrorist threats to better coordinating UN System’s counter-terrorism activities.
The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the form of a resolution and an annexed Plan of Action is composed of 4 pillars, namely:
- Addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism
- Measures to prevent and combat terrorism
- Measures to build states’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the role of the United Nations system in that regard
- Measures to ensure respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism