Briefings by Chairs of subsidiary bodies of the Security Council - Security Council, 10049th meeting

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.