Special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee on preventing ICT exploitation by terrorists

New York, USA

[Update] Read the report: Private Sector Engagement in Responding to the Use of the Internet and ICT for Terrorist Purposes

A special meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on 'Preventing the Exploitation of Information and Communications Technologies for Terrorist purposes, while Respecting Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms', will be held at the UN Headquarters in New York (conference room 4) on 1 December 2016 at 15:00.

The special meeting will be preceded by a series of preparatory technical sessions, organised by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) on Wednesday, 30th November and in the morning of Thursday, 1st December. The technical sessions include:

  • Session I: Technical challenges posed by the use of the Internet and social media for terrorist purposes. Moderator: Ms Atefeh Riazi, Chief Information Technology Officer, Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Information and Communications Technology
  • Session II: International cooperation in Digital Matters. Moderator: Dr. Rasmus H. Wandall, International Association of Prosecutors
  • Session III: Privacy and freedom of expression in the digital age. Moderator: Mr Edward Flynn, Senior Human Rights Officer, CTED
  • Session IV: Information-Sharing with and self-regulation by the private sector to promote safety and counter-messaging. Moderator: Ambassador (ret.) Daniel Stauffacher, Founder and President, ICT4Peace Foundation. CTED and ICT4Peace will present a report on Private Sector Engagement in Responding to the Use of the Internet and ICT for Terrorist Purposes.

The special meeting on 1 December will take place as part of the CTC's work to present a proposal for a comprehensive international framework with recommended guidelines and good practices to effectively counter the ways in which terrorist groups use their narratives to encourage, motivate, and recruit others to commit terrorist acts, in accordance with the Security Council's Presidential Statement in May 2016 (S/PRST/2016/6).

The objective of the meeting will be for the Committee, Member States, relevant international and regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector actors to discuss technological and law enforcement challenges and effective measures taken in this area within the framework of the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005) and 2178 (2014) and to improve cooperation between governments, the private sector and civil society, where appropriate, with a view to preventing and countering the relative ease with which terrorists utilise cyberspace for terrorist purposes.

The special meeting is open to member and observer states, members of the media including photographers with valid accreditation, United Nations staff and interns, UN entities, intergovernmental organisations, and specialised agencies, as well as invited guests with a valid UN grounds pass. Participants are requested to complete the online registration form. The event will be webcast at webtv.un.org.

Visit the event webpage for additional details. Meeting documentation can also be found on the Committee’s webpage.

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