Washington, DC - This morning, Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed to the State Department senior diplomatic representatives from nearly 60 nations, including more than 35 Washington-based ambassadors, from partner countries in the global coalition to counter ISIL.

This plenary session was an opportunity for coalition partners to reaffirm our shared resolve to address this common threat and discuss how to strengthen, accelerate, and integrate our contributions to coalition efforts. This is the second Washington plenary session of coalition ambassadors, following the inaugural plenary session on November 3, 2014.

Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL John Allen and other senior U.S. officials briefed on progress across the coalition’s five lines of effort to counter ISIL: supporting regional military partners, stopping the flow of foreign fighters, cutting off ISIL’s access to financing, addressing urgent humanitarian needs, and countering ISIL’s messaging.

As Secretary Kerry has said, nearly every country in the world has a role to play in defeating ISIL. Today’s plenary session, which builds on the December 3 Coalition Ministerial in Brussels and the January 22 Small Group meeting in London, illustrates how strongly the global community is united in degrading and defeating ISIL, and underscores our shared commitment to continued coordination of our joint operations.