Following the terror attack in Paris and threats to bomb the US, World leaders have unanimously agreed to fight ISIS together which is now being described as ‘a global & unprecedented threat to international peace and security’.
The UN Security Council which met yesterday November 20, called on countries to take ‘all necessary measures’ to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq, in the wake of the attacks in France, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon and the downing of a Russian passenger plane over Egypt.
The resolution, drafted by France, states that the UN is determined ‘to combat by all means this unprecedented threat’, citing ISIS’ ‘systematic and widespread attacks’ on civilians as reasons for action.
It also cites religious and ethnic persecution by ISIS, destruction of cultural heritage sites and recruiting foreign fighters. The measure is the 14th terrorism-related resolution adopted by the UN’s most powerful body since 1999.
Agreements are often hard to achieve in the Security Council of the UN, where permanent members the United States, Russia, China, the UK and France can all veto resolutions.
THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON ISIS SAYS
‘By its violent and extremist ideology, its terrorist acts, its continued gross systematic and widespread attacks directed against civilians, abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those driven on religious or ethnic ground, its eradication of cultural heritage and trafficking of cultural property, but also its control of significant parts and natural resources across Iraq and Syria and its recruitment and training of foreign terrorist fighters whose threat affects all regions and Member States, even those far from conflict zones, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security.
The resolution also ‘calls upon all Member States that have the capacity to do so take all the necessary measures … on the territory under the control of ISIL in Syria and Iraq, to redouble and coordinate their efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed specifically by ISIL’.
