Resolution on the urgency of new measures to fight international terrorism
Date: 2018-06-20
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
Subjects: ACP countries, ACP-EU relationship, computer crime, extremism, fundamental rights, human rights, international cooperation, organised crime, rule of law, terrorism








C_2018415EN.01001801.xml










15.11.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 415/18






RESOLUTION (1)

on the urgency of new measures to fight international terrorism
(2018/C 415/04)

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,







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meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 18 to 20 June 2018,










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having regard to Article 18(2) of its Rules of Procedure,










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having regard to the Cotonou Agreement of 2000 and to the 2005 and 2010 revisions thereof,










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having regard to the Joint Declaration of the 5th African Union-European Union Summit on 30 November 2017 in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire),










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having regard to the European Parliament’s recommendation of 1 March 2018 to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on cutting the sources of income for jihadists — targeting the financing of terrorism (2017/2203(INI)),










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having regard to Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on combating terrorism and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA and amending Council Decision 2005/671/JHA (2),










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having regard to the EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the Council in 2005,










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having regard to the Revised EU Strategy for Combating Radicalisation and Recruitment to Terrorism, adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council at its meeting on 19 May 2014 and approved by the Council at its meeting on 5 and 6 June 2014 (9956/14),










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having regard to the African Union Counter-Terrorism Framework including the OAU/African Union Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism adopted in July 1999 and to the additional Protocol thereto adopted in July 2004,










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having regard to United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2396 (2017), 2395 (2017) and 2178 (2014), as well as all other resolutions on combatting terrorism,










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having regard to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy of 2006,










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having regard to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/291 of 2016 on the Fifth Review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,










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having regard to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 71/291 of 15 June 2017 establishing the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism,










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having regard to the proposal for a comprehensive international framework to counter terrorist narratives of 28 April 2017 (S/2017/375), developed by the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee,










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having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 25 September 2015,










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having regard to the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (14445/2017),










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having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, adopted in June 1981,










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having regard to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, to Articles 2, 3 and 6 of the Treaty on European Union, and to the relevant Articles of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,










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having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,










A.


whereas terrorist acts claiming numerous lives have occurred during recent years in several African and EU countries, and therefore constitute a common challenge for both the EU and the ACP countries; whereas any act of terrorism is criminal and unjustifiable irrespective of its motivations;










B.


whereas the terrorist threat to European societies and societies in ACP countries comes in large part from home-grown terrorists rather than foreign individuals; whereas there is no established connection between terrorism and migration;










C.


whereas 90 per cent of all terrorist attacks have occurred in countries engaged in violent conflicts, which are exacerbated by widespread access to weaponry;










D.


whereas in 2017 approximately 1 800 terrorist attacks occurred in Africa alone, half of these perpetrated by the Al-Shabab terrorist group; whereas following its major losses in Iraq and Syria, Isis is seeking new battlegrounds on the African continent; whereas Al-Qaida is increasingly developing networks in West and Central Africa, notably Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria; whereas the victims of Jihadi terrorists have been overwhelmingly Muslim;










E.


whereas the terrorist organisations based in the Sahel region benefit from the fragility of the countries in the region and from the length and porosity of the borders, which facilitate access to Libyan weapons arsenals; whereas peace cannot be restored to the region without the restoration of the state, social order and general stability in Libya;










F.


whereas women and children have been the most vulnerable to terrorism, and children have suffered disproportionately; whereas there have been countless cases of rape and of child kidnappings and conscription as well as radicalisation of children and women;










G.


whereas the increasing mobility of capital, new developments in finance such as crypto currencies and crowd funding, loopholes in tax and customs laws and a lack of due diligence requirements in global trade have allowed terrorist networks to amass wealth and sustain their existence;










H.


whereas climate change contributes to increased shortages of water, food and other resources, which drive conflicts over land, exacerbate poverty and provide a breeding ground for terrorism;










I.


whereas the phenomenon of ‘foreign fighters’ has developed; whereas thousands of foreign citizens have travelled to join terrorist groups and conflicts; whereas given the imminent territorial collapse of Isis, it is likely many will seek to return to their home countries; whereas this represents a severe security risk for those countries;










J.


whereas there is increasing evidence of the overlapping of terrorist and organised crime networks concerning illicit trade in arms, oil, natural resources, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, endangered species and cultural goods, as well as human trafficking; whereas these have contributed greatly to terrorist financing;










K.


whereas through the internet, the use of the dark web, social media and ICT, terrorist organisations have found a way to spread their propaganda, obtain finance and become truly global networks without the need for a physical base;










L.


whereas in the regions affected, peacekeeping missions have increasingly contributed to anti-terrorism actions, including the protection of civilians and the deterrence against potential threats; whereas there have been concerns that increased military assistance might be at the expense of development aid efforts;










M.


whereas terrorism and violent extremism cannot be defeated by military or police force alone; whereas counter-terrorism efforts can only be effective if they are part of a more comprehensive approach combining crisis management and prevention, mediation and political dialogue, capacity- and institution-building, and development efforts;










N.


whereas prevention strategies to combat terrorism should focus on addressing the root causes of terrorism and radicalisation, including bad governance, corruption, absence of the rule of law, impunity, as well as socio-economic factors such as poverty, food insecurity, severe social and economic inequality, lack of access to education, unemployment, discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity and social exclusion;










O.


whereas development co-operation has a key role to play in addressing the conditions that terrorist leaders feed on and exploit;










P.


whereas respect for fundamental rights and an appropriate balance between repressive measures, prevention and rehabilitation are essential elements in successful counter-terrorism policies;












1.


Strongly condemns all terrorist acts and their perpetrators; expresses its condolences to all victims of terrorist acts; stresses that care for the victims of terrorism is an essential duty of governments; reiterates that there can be no justification for acts of terrorism or for supporting and financing terrorist acts and networks irrespective of social, economic, religious or political motivations;












2.


Considers it paramount for EU and ACP countries to implement a comprehensive strategy that addresses the root causes of terrorism, through an effective and independent judiciary and appropriate policies in the areas of criminal justice, education, economic and social inclusion, law enforcement and border control, ensuring coherence between security, defence, trade, economic development and humanitarian policies;












3.


Recalls the strong link between development and security; recalls the urgent need to reduce economic inequality and to put states in a position to fulfil their sovereign tasks, notably ensuring access to education, employment, justice and health, thereby providing the young people of the partner countries with a positive perspective for their future;












4.


Draws particular attention to the challenges of good governance, state-building, impunity and human rights in the countries most affected by terrorism and instability; encourages all partners to work together to tackle the root causes of instability which can lead to conflicts and to develop a coherent strategy aimed at improving governance, the rule of law and the accountability of state and regional institutions;












5.


Recalls that radicalisation and recruitment of individuals by terrorist networks is a global phenomenon; calls on EU and ACP countries to strengthen their efforts to combat radicalisation by addressing its root causes, including through educational and social integration and programmes empowering ethnic and religious minorities and marginalised communities;












6.


Asserts that religious extremism creates distorted narratives that push alienated people towards terrorism; stresses the importance of developing powerful counter-narratives and measures promoting interfaith dialogue in ACP and EU countries, especially among young people, in order to increase mutual understanding and respect;












7.


Believes that women, young people, civil society and local communities should be actively involved in counter-terrorist efforts, especially de-radicalisation and in the prevention of radicalisation; highlights the positive role played by religious leaders in de-radicalisation, as seen in Cameroon and Mauritania; calls on EU and ACP countries to build on these initiatives and continue to exchange best practices on this matter;












8.


Reiterates that the purpose of our criminal justice systems should be to rehabilitate individuals so that they no longer pose a risk to society when they return to it; therefore calls for rehabilitation and reintegration strategies;












9.


Expresses serious concerns about the phenomenon of radicalisation in prisons, and calls on EU and ACP countries to address this issue, notably through better funding of prison systems, avoiding prison overcrowding and improving administrative systems so as to identify radicalised detainees, monitor and prevent radicalisation processes, provide specific training for prison staff, and set up educational programmes in order to ensure de-radicalisation and a better social rehabilitation of ex-offenders at risk of radicalisation;












10.


Insists on the need to prevent, combat and prosecute the financing of terrorism, in accordance with Directive (EU) 2017/541 and the recommendations made by the European Parliament; considers that enhanced checks and tracking of financial operations, as well as closer cooperation and exchange of law-enforcement information would help to cut off funding for terrorism-related activities and help to identify terrorist networks and support structures; underlines the fact that money laundering, illicit trade, tax evasion and other fiscal crimes are major sources of terrorism funding and that tracking and combating them must be a priority; commends initiatives by the EU and by ACP countries to stem the illicit trade in arms, drugs, cultural goods, etc., the profits of which often go towards financing terrorism;












11.


Calls on EU and ACP countries to intensify the fight against transnational organised crime, including criminal networks involved in the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, drugs and arms; believes that, in particular, cooperation needs to be strengthened further as regards information exchange and the traceability and destruction of prohibited weapons;












12.


Calls on EU and ACP countries to strengthen cooperation to address the use of ICT by terrorists; in particular to tackle propaganda and recruitment on social media; encourages governments to involve the private sector; commends the industry-led Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism; calls on the Commission to update the Cybersecurity Strategy of 2013 and review the existing cybercrime legislation;












13.


Emphasises the importance of regional and interregional cooperation in the fight against terrorism and expresses its strong support for regional initiatives undertaken, such as the African Union Counter Terrorism Framework; welcomes, furthermore, the political leadership demonstrated by the Sahel G5 countries and calls on the EU to strengthen the EU-Sahel G5 partnership, in particular as regards financing and capacity-building, in all areas where the G5 intends to integrate policies;












14.


Calls for enhanced EU-ACP and regional cooperation, including better exchange of information and best practices aimed at preventing impunity and promoting the rule of law and the expansion of police and judicial capacities; calls on the EU and its Member States and the ACP countries to invest more in capacity-building for better exchange of information and best practices among border-control agencies to combat cross-border terrorist activity; calls on the international community to support the initiative based on the decision of Libya, Niger, Sudan and Chad at their meeting in Niamey on 3 April 2018 to control their common borders;












15.


Believes that the international community and regional partners should focus their actions on supporting the restoration of state authority in the regions most affected by terrorism, and particularly the Sahel and the Lake Chad and Horn of Africa regions; is convinced that the EU should play a mediation role and contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts; calls on the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations to unite their efforts and to establish international coordination in order to help Libya end its continuing chaotic situation, while engaging with other key players such as the Arab League, the USA and countries of the Maghreb;












16.


Calls on EU and ACP countries to cooperate fully with UN and regional bodies involved in counter-terrorism; calls on all EU and ACP states to sign and ratify the 19 UN Conventions on counter-terrorism; welcomes the holding of the first UN Summit of Counter-terrorism Agencies in June 2018 announced by the UN Secretary-General at the AU-UN Summit in January;












17.


Emphasises the need for ACP and EU countries to base their strategy for combating terrorism, as with all other forms of crime, on the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights; insists on the need for democratic and judicial oversight of counter-terrorism policies and regular evaluation of their effectiveness and proportionality;












18.


Recalls that torture must be prohibited in all circumstances as enshrined in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;












19.


Stresses firmly that counter-terrorism agendas must not undermine the ability of humanitarian actors to deliver assistance; points out that to obtain access to populations in need humanitarian aid must not only be neutral but also be perceived as such;












20.


Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this Resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the ACP Council, the African Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.






(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 20 June 2018 in Brussels (Belgium).

(2)  OJ L 88, 31.3.2017, p. 6.