UN Chief on Counter-Terrorism - António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

United Nations - Statement by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at the opening of the first United Nations High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States.

The UN Secretary-General is convening the first United Nations High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States, on 28 and 29 June 2018 at United Nations Headquarters.

The overarching theme for the Conference is “Strengthening international cooperation to combat the evolving threat of terrorism”. The conference aims to build a new partnership for multilateral cooperation to strengthen the international community’s counter-terrorism efforts.

Conference participants include Member States represented by Heads of Counter-Terrorism agencies, regional organisations, civil society organisations, and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Entities.

Website of the UN High-level Conference on Counter-Terrorism (28-29 June 2018):
http://www.un.org/en/counterterrorism...

Read the UN Secretary-General statement: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/s...

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The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres today said that the "transnational nature of terrorism" calls for multilateral cooperation, and the top priority for counter-terrorism is to “work together.”

Opened today (28 Jun) in New York, the first ever global High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-terrorism Agencies of the Member States aims to improve international cooperation and information sharing, and to build new partnerships that can find practical solutions.

In his opening remarks, the UN chief António Guterres reiterated “we must strengthen the capacities of our counter-terrorism structures and institutions. And we must complement our counter-terrorism efforts in the security realm with concerted efforts to identify and address the root causes.”

He continued “we must build the resilience and cohesion of our societies. Communities and the State need to be joined with the common purpose of rejecting terrorist ideologies and challenging those who espouse them.”

Guterres further stated “this means governments adopting a comprehensive and inclusive approach, involving all parts of society. It means starting at the grassroots, where families and local communities are at the front line of efforts to protect vulnerable people from succumbing to pernicious ideologies. It means increasing our support to civil society organizations, who make a unique and invaluable contribution to tackling terrorism and preventing violent extremism.”

Noting that over the past several years, the international community has mostly been focused on countering terrorism and responding to attacks, the UN chief highlighted “terrorism will not be defeated by military means alone. we need to combine both “counter” and “prevent””.

He stated that the global community should focus efforts on the underlying conditions that cause some people to be lured by terrorism.

He said “no one is born a terrorist, but we know that factors such as prolonged unresolved conflicts, lack of the rule of law, human rights abuses, poverty, lack of opportunities and socioeconomic marginalization can all play a part in transforming ideas and grievances into acts of terrorism.”

Underlining the need to make a strategic investment in young people to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism, Guterres urged the international community to “harness the positive energy of young people by increased investment in education and employment opportunities.”

He added “we also need to empower them by giving them the tools they need to combat oppressive extremist narratives, xenophobia and hate speech. And our counter-terrorism measures must also reflect their views and concerns.”

In his remarks, the Secretary-General also noted that the frontline against terrorism is increasingly in cyberspace, as terrorists are exploiting social media, encrypted communications and the dark web to spread propaganda, recruit new followers and coordinate attacks.

He also underlined the fundamental importance of fully respecting human rights while tackling terrorism, as well as the obligation to uphold the rights of victims, to seek justice and ensure they have a voice.