Security Council Targets ISIL Financing

The resolution also condemns the destruction and smuggling of cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria by ISIS and ANF, “whether such destruction is incidental or deliberate, including targeted destruction of religious sites and objects.” It also notes with concern that the groups are generating income from engaging directly or indirectly in the looting and smuggling of cultural heritage items.

Against that backdrop, the Council decided “that all Member States shall take appropriate steps to prevent the trade in Iraqi and Syrian cultural property and other items of…historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance illegally removed from Iraq since 6 August 1990 and from Syria since 15 March 2011.”

Encouraging steps to ensure such items are returned to their homelands, the Council called on the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Interpol, and other international organizations to assist in such efforts.

The resolution goes on to reaffirm that payment of ransoms to individuals, groups, undertakings or entities on the Al-Qaida Sanctions List, regardless of how or by whom the ransom is paid is considered a violation of international legal obligations. It calls upon all UN Member States to encourage private sector partners to adopt or to follow relevant guidelines and good practices for preventing and responding to terrorist kidnappings without paying ransom.