October 3, 2014 - By John R. Allen, the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL and the Deputy Special Presidential Envoy is Brett McGurk.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has dramatically undermined stability in Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East and poses a threat to international peace and security. ISIL continues to commit gross, systematic abuses of human rights and violations of international law, including indiscriminate killing and deliberate targeting of civilians, mass executions and extrajudicial killings, persecution of individuals and entire communities on the basis of their identity, kidnapping of civilians, forced displacement of Shia communities and minority groups, killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence, along with numerous other atrocities. ISIL presents a global terrorist threat which has recruited thousands of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria from across the globe and leveraged technology to spread its violent extremist ideology and to incite terrorist acts. As noted in UN Security Council Resolution 2170, “terrorism can only be defeated by a sustained and comprehensive approach involving the active participation and collaboration of all States… which is why our first priority is to encourage others to join in this important endeavor.”
The Global Coalition to Degrade and Defeat ISIL
Over 60 coalition partners have committed themselves to the goals of eliminating the threat posed by ISIL and have already contributed in various capacities to the effort to combat ISIL in Iraq, the region and beyond.
The breadth and diversity of partners supporting the coalition demonstrate the global and unified nature of this endeavor. Below are some (this list is not exhaustive) of the partners that have joined this effort to date, and we expect the number to grow.
Albania Arab League Australia Austria Bahrain Belgium Bulgaria Canada Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Estonia European Union |
Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iraq Ireland Italy Japan Jordan Kosovo Kuwait Latvia |
Lebanon Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Moldova Montenegro Morocco NATO The Netherlands New Zealand Norway Oman Poland Portugal Qatar |
Republic of Korea Romania Saudi Arabia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Taiwan Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States |
The Five Lines of Effort
Secretary Kerry and Secretary Hagel set forth five mutually reinforcing lines of effort to degrade and defeat ISIL at an early September meeting with NATO counterparts.
These lines of effort include:
- Providing military support to our partners;
- Impeding the flow of foreign fighters;
- Stopping ISIL's financing and funding;
- Addressing humanitarian crises in the region; and
- Exposing ISIL's true nature.
Humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict is equally important to meeting urgent needs and maintaining regional stability, and contributions to humanitarian assistance, including a critical contribution of $500 million by Saudi Arabia to the humanitarian response in Iraq, have been essential. With the needs of vulnerable civilians continuing to grow, additional contributions from the international community are necessary in order to address the greatest needs—including shelter, food and water, medicine and education.