Statement by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Office of Counter-terrorism at the opening of the Security Council Open VTC on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

The Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, today 24 (Aug) told the Security Council that “measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns and restrictions on movement, seem to have reduced the risk of terrorist attacks in many countries.”

Presenting the Secretary-General’s report “on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat,” Voronkov noted “contrasting regional disparities in the threat trajectory” since the start of the year.

He said that ‘in conflict zones, the threat has increased, as evidenced by ISIL’s regrouping and increasing activity in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, and among some of its regional affiliates,” while “in non-conflict zones, the threat appears to have decreased in the short term.”

The UN official said “the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the challenges we face in eliminating the threat of terrorism” as ISIL and other terrorist groups “seek to exploit the far-reaching disruption and negative socio-economic and political impacts of the pandemic.”

Voronkov said, “strengthening collective action and international counter-terrorism cooperation must remain a priority during and after the pandemic.”

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