UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted Resolution 2617, renewing the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) for another four years, until Dec 31, 2025.

For the period ending at the end of 2025, CTED will be operated as a special political mission under the policy guidance of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), and an interim review shall be conducted by Dec 31, 2023.

CTED is a UN Secretariat body that assists the CTC. It was established through Resolution 1535 to support the CTC's work. The directorate has also been involved in assessing the implementation of Resolution 1373 - which established the CTC and decided that all states shall prevent and criminalize the financing of terrorist acts - and Resolution 1624, which called on member states to criminalize the incitement to commit terrorist acts.

The council welcomes CTED's cooperation with the UN Global Counterterrorism Compact Entities, other relevant UN bodies, and relevant regional organizations, and urges CTED to continue to ensure that it invites representatives from these bodies to participate in its assessment work, so that they continue to contribute to the development of prioritized recommendations to build member states' capacity in the most pressing areas.

It encourages CTED to assess, as appropriate, member states' efforts to tackle all forms of terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, including those on the basis of xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief.