To the Question of United Nations Counter-Terrorism Activities

Abstract

Abstract. The article is devoted to the study of a number of aspects of United Nations counter-terrorism activities in the current phase of globalization. Purpose: to analyze the problems directly related to the activities of the UN in the field of countering international terrorism, as well as the basic provisions of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (2006). Methods: the study uses comparison, description, analogy, dialectical logic, interpretation of legal norms, content-analysis, synergistic method. Results: the study substantiates the main conclusion that UN counter-terrorism activities are a major factor in the maintenance of international peace and security, representing a synergy of efforts among UN bodies and system, aimed at countering and combating terrorism. The article identifies the problems that are hampering the progressive development and improvement of United Nations counter-terrorist activities at the present time. It is noted in particular that none of the universal international legal instruments against terrorism currently contains a clear definition of the concept of «international terrorism». This circumstance hinders the development and potential adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism, proposed at the time by the delegation of India. The author believes that this long-standing problem, which has been trying to be resolved for a quarter of a century in negotiations within the UN, is unlikely to be solved by the current generation of politicians and leaders: there are too many disagreements that lead to deadlock in the relevant negotiations. It is suggested that the institutional reform of the UN counter-terrorism architecture, aimed at strengthening the common approach to coordination and coherence in the UN system of counter-terrorism activities, launched by the new Secretary-General António Guterres in 2018, will be fruitfully continued in the near future.