On 8 September 2025, the Â鶹APP Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) convened its second Quarterly Briefing of the year for Member States at Â鶹APP Headquarters in New York, gathering over 200 participants from 64 Member States and regional organizations, and 15 entities of the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact. The meeting, chaired by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of UNOCT, provided an overview of the evolving terrorism landscape and the Office¡¯s ongoing efforts to address it.
Global Terrorism Threat Landscape
Participants highlighted that terrorism remains an evolving and decentralized global threat with Al-Qaida and Da¡¯esh affiliates especially active across Africa (particularly the Sahel), as well as Afghanistan, and Syria. In several conflict zones, operational cooperation between Al-Qaida and Da¡¯esh fighters has been observed despite their ideological rivalry. Participants also warned of the growing exploitation of artificial intelligence, encrypted communication platforms, and social media for recruitment, propaganda, and operational planning. In addition, the nexus between terrorism and organized crime is deepening, particularly in areas such as illicit financing, arms trafficking, and smuggling, which sustain terrorist networks.
UNOCT Programmes and Impact
In his opening remarks, Mr. Voronkov presented UNOCT¡¯s progress in expanding its technical assistance and capacity-building programmes, which have trained over 10,000 individuals across 140 Member States, and underscored the office¡¯s role in strengthening inter-agency coordination through the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, supporting a coherent and system-wide response to terrorism.
Strategic and Policy Priorities
Member States reaffirmed their commitment to a rights-based and inclusive approach to counter-terrorism, including through the Secretary-General¡¯s UN80 Reform Initiative, the Pact for the Future, and preparations for the ninth review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) in 2026.
Thematic discussions covered a wide range of operational and policy issues, including the development and implementation of national and regional counter-terrorism strategies, the repatriation of individuals from camps and other places of detention in northeast Syria, and addressing the misuse of emerging technologies by terrorist groups. Tackling hate speech, intolerance, and radicalization to violence, particularly through community engagement and education, was highlighted as essential to addressing the conditions that may be conducive to terrorism.
The session concluded with calls for holistic, locally grounded prevention strategies that engage all relevant stakeholders, including youth, women, and civil society, reflecting a shared understanding that effective counter-terrorism requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
