UN IN COUNTERING TERRORISM

The United Nations is the major international organization empowered with the mandate to ensure respect for fundamental human rights for everybody everywhere. It has an obligation to combat terrorism from the standpoint of international human rights. However the fight against terrorism cannot be won by the UN alone. Therefore, there is the need for cooperation between states and the UN. States are faced with the challenge of responding to the threat of terrorism on one hand and upholding international human rights standards on the other hand. One of the fundamental rights mostly affected in the fight against terrorism is due process rights. The detainment of terrorist suspects at the US naval base, Guantanamo Bay has generated a very heated debate in the international community. This work will reveal whether detainees held at Guantanamo Bay have been given access to the due process of the law by the US government. It also provides an overview of how the UN handles terrorism. It concludes by providing policy recommendations for governments and scholars for consideration in combating terrorism.