On 19 October 2023, the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) held an open meeting on “Countering terrorist narratives and preventing the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes.” Organized in accordance with Security Council resolution 2354 (2017), the open meeting reviewed global developments in countering terrorist narratives, and it identified good practices and recommended ways for Member States to enhance their efforts in this space.
“As technology and social media companies become better at addressing terrorist content from digital platforms, terrorist groups often relocate their content to other obscure and encrypted websites and platforms. This makes it more difficult to locate, identify, and counter terrorist content,” said Mr. Mohamed Abushahab, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations. The Chair of the Committee noted that, despite increased global connectivity, one third of all people are without access to the Internet. “This is also why, collectively, we need to learn more about local and community efforts to counter terrorist narratives beyond the digital domain — and better understand the links between online narratives and offline effects.”
Ms. Natalia Gherman, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), highlighted several trends related to countering terrorist narratives that CTED had observed through its engagement with Member States, CTED’s Global Research Network, civil society, and the private sector. One of these trends focused on the affiliations of the actors spreading terrorist narratives, which was changing from exclusively known terrorist organisations to informal groups or unaffiliated actors drawing inspiration from more established groups. Another trend was the mixing of terrorist narratives with content focused on other harmful themes, including misogyny, threats of violence based on gender or sexual orientation, anti-establishment messaging, racism, and conspiracy theories.
Several panelists called for increased efforts in terms of digital literacy, while others encouraged inclusive whole-of-society approaches to countering terrorist narratives and preventing the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes. Such approaches would need to address conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism conducive to terrorism, including grievances, while fully respecting human rights.
The participating panelists included representatives of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, the Office of the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, the CTED-initiated public-private partnership Tech Against Terrorism, the industry-led Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), as well as academia and civil society.
The background note for the open meeting is available here.
The draft agenda is available here.
Additional photos from the meeting can be found in CTED’s dedicated Flickr album.
The webcast recording of the proceedings can be accessed at the following link.
Background
The international community has long been concerned by the narratives espoused and communicated by terrorist groups and the impact of these messages on recruitment, fundraising, and the planning and perpetration of terrorist acts. In its resolution 2354 (2017), the Security Council requested the Counter-Terrorism Committee, with the support of CTED and in consultation with relevant United Nations entities and other key actors, to facilitate international cooperation in the field of countering terrorist narratives. The Council further directed the Committee, with the support of CTED, to organize at least one open meeting annually to review global developments in countering terrorist narratives.
Speakers’ statements and presentations are available below:
H. E. Mr. Mohamed Abushahab, Chair, Counter-Terrorism Committee: opening remarks
Ms. Natalia Gherman, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate: opening remarks
Ms. Simona Cruciani, Senior Political Affairs Officer representing the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide: statement
Ms. Samantha Kutner, Chief Intelligence Officer, Glitterpill LLC: statement
Mr. Priyank Mathur, Founder and CEO, Mythos Labs: statement
Mr. Raffi Gregorian, Director and Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism: statement
Mr. Pascal Djeumegued, Faith-Based Leader, Human Security Collective: presentation
Ms. Naureen C. Fink, Executive Director, Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT): statement
Mr. Adam Hadley, Executive Director, Tech Against Terrorism: statement
H. E. Mr. Mohamed Abushahab, Chair, Counter-Terrorism Committee: closing remarks