UN officials urge adaptation to evolving terrorist threats 25 years after 9/11

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, senior UN counterterrorism officials warned Friday that terrorist threats have become more fragmented, technology-driven and difficult to detect, urging stronger international cooperation, prevention efforts and partnerships with the private sector.

Speaking at an open UN Security Council briefing marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the officials stressed that counterterrorism measures must keep pace with rapidly changing tactics while respecting human rights and international law.

Natalia Gherman, executive director of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), said the international community had made significant progress since the attacks but that “much remains to be done.”

“At their heart is solidarity and international cooperation in acting to prevent terrorism, bring terrorists to justice, and to ensure they cannot find safe haven,” she said, referring to obligations established by Security Council Resolution 1373, adopted in the aftermath of 9/11.

Gherman said terrorist organizations are increasingly fragmented and decentralized, exploiting fragile governance, local grievances and instability while diversifying their financial networks.

She also warned of the growing use of technology, including unmanned aircraft systems, for surveillance and attacks, as well as the exploitation of social media, gaming platforms and other online spaces to recruit young people.

“Advances in artificial intelligence and automated content generation are further increasing the speed, scale, and precision” of terrorist recruitment and exploitation, she said.

Gherman also highlighted increasingly sophisticated terrorist financing methods, including online payment services, crowdfunding, mobile money and virtual assets, alongside traditional methods such as cash couriers.

She urged continued international efforts to understand emerging financing risks and develop appropriate responses.

Eihab Omaish, director for policy and coordination at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said the Sept. 11 attacks had transformed the international security landscape, but cautioned against complacency.

“Terrorist actors have adapted their tactics, and our collective response must keep pace,” he said.

Omaish identified three lessons from the past 25 years: security measures must be accompanied by sustained prevention efforts; international cooperation must involve civil society, women, youth and victims of terrorism; and counterterrorism efforts must uphold international law.

“Effective counterterrorism and respect for international law are mutually reinforcing,” he said, warning that measures undermining human rights and the rule of law ultimately weaken collective efforts against terrorism.

Naureen Chowdhury Fink, executive director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), focused on the growing role of technology.

“Emerging technologies are no longer a key tool for terrorists; they are the key tool,” she told the Council.

She said artificial intelligence could reduce barriers for would-be attackers by providing tailored information and assistance, while ideological and operational “diffusion” was making perpetrators harder to identify.

Fink also urged governments to recognize technology companies as essential counterterrorism partners.

“Multilateral counterterrorism must include the private sector and strengthen opportunities for public-private partnerships,” she said.