[Title] Report on G8 Support to the United Nations' Counter-Terrorism Efforts (G8 Heiligendamm Summit)

(General)

1. At the G8 summit in St. Petersburg we renewed our pledge of solidarity in the continuing struggle against the world-wide scourge of terrorism. We highlighted the central role of the UN as the sole organization with the stature and reach to achieve universal agreement on the condemnation of terrorism and to effectively address key aspects of the terrorist threat in a comprehensive manner. We called for enhancing global efforts to prevent and counter terrorism and expressed our resolve to support and strengthen the UN systems' counterterrorism capacity. In this statement we report on the first results of our efforts in this regard, recognizing that further coordinated steps should be taken to strengthen this capacity.

(Enhanced coordination/ UN CT Strategy)

2. We warmly welcome the adoption by consensus of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy by the General Assembly on 8 September 2006. From the very beginning we emphasized the need to strongly support the GA's work on counter-terrorism and contributed constructively to the completion of the negotiations on the strategy. We repeatedly stressed that counterterrorism efforts across the UN system must be better coordinated and more efficient. We recognize that the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy is comprehensive as well as action-oriented and that it enjoys strong support of the UN membership. We are convinced that the UN Strategy will provide the basis for enhancing coordination of all relevant activities by the UN Secretary General within the UN family and with key actors outside the UN. We recognize that, with active involvement of Member States and on the basis of its mandate, the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force can play an essential role in enhancing coordination and coherence of counter-terrorism programmes and for promoting implementation of the UN Strategy. We are determined to lend full support to the work of the Task Force in fulfilling its tasks under the Strategy, paying particular attention to reducing redundancies and increasing efficiencies.

(Compliance with relevant SC resolutions)

3. Remindful of the important role of the UN Security Council in countering terrorism, we have urged States to comply with and implement its relevant resolutions and will continue to do so. We underline that the Security Council has issued a number of binding resolutions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, including, but not limited to SC Res. 1267, 1373, 1390 and 1540; and other resolutions relevant to the fight against terrorism, notably 1624. We also welcome the steps taken by the Security Council to ensure clear and fair procedures within sanctions regimes. Some G8 member states funded a number of studies that evaluated the effectiveness and fairness of sanctions regimes, notably the regime under SC Resolutions 1267/1390. We are convinced that procedural improvements and recommendations as contained in SC Resolutions 1390, 1535, 1617, 1730, 1732 and 1735 will promote compliance with targeted sanctions and thus enhance their effectiveness.

(Capacity-building)

4. We have called upon UN organs, organizations and bodies, while avoiding duplication of efforts, to ensure that each of their CT-related programs is results- focused and calibrated to maximize its impact in assisting States in building national and regional capacity to combat terrorism. We encouraged the Counter-Terrorism Committee, relying on its Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, to take the necessary steps and to make their work more relevant and accessible to both the donor and recipient communities. With CTED, we established a fruitful working relationship through the Counter-Terrorism Action Group (CTAG). This cooperation contributed to better tailoring our capacity-building assistance to the needs of recipient countries. We invite CTED to further strengthen its cooperation with CTAG at the local level, including in the follow-up to CTED country visits. We recommend that CTED intensify its cooperation with regional organizations and centers. We will work together to strengthen CTED's effectiveness as part of the renewal of CTED's mandate.

(International Legal framework)

5. We continue to call on all UN member states to further strengthen the global legal framework for the fight against terrorism, aimed in particular at fostering international cooperation in investigating and prosecuting terrorist acts, by ratifying and fully implementing the 12 basic international CT conventions and protocols currently in force. We remain committed to achieving universal ratification of and compliance with these instruments and support the efforts of the UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch, in cooperation and coordination with other relevant UN entities, to provide States with the necessary technical assistance in this regard. We will continue to work to accelerate completion of this international legal framework. With regard to the four CT Conventions and Protocols concluded in 2005, including the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, we urge all States that have not yet done so to ratify these instruments as soon as possible, so as to ensure their rapid entry into force. We reiterate our strong desire to conclude the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in order to facilitate legal cooperation on a global level, and we urge those who have not yet done so to align themselves with the coordinator's draft text, which is supported by an overwhelming majority of the international community. There is a need to stress without ambiguity that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism in any form.

(Compliance with international law)

6. We reconfirm that international cooperation to fight terrorism must be conducted in conformity with international law, including the UN Charter and relevant international conventions and protocols. States must ensure that any measures taken to combat terrorism comply with their obligations under international law, in particular human rights law, refugee law and international humanitarian law.