15 December 2022
Thank you, Mme. President,
Let me join others in expressing our condolences and heartfelt sympathy to Ireland for the loss of a peacekeeper in Lebanon. He was working to implement a mandate adopted by this Council and we him and everyone working on behalf of the UN infinite gratitude and respect.
I thank USG Voronkov and Acting Director Chen for their valuable inputs, including the sobering and painful account from Ms. Kulthe.
Colleagues,
We share the same assessment: terrorism remains a serious threat to global peace and security, and we must respond effectively and decisively.
Yesterday, we shared views about multilateralism and joint efforts to face and deal with common challenges. Countering and fighting terrorism is an area “par excellence” where, for all of us to succeed, we need to do so: plan and act jointly continuously and in a coordinated manner.
Mme. President,
Albania has continuously and unequivocally condemned, in the strongest possible terms, any act of terrorism no matter by whom or where committed. There is no justification whatsoever for terrorism or terrorist ideologies and activities. Terror represents an affront to all humanity and its values.
Terrorist organizations such as DAESH, Al-Qaida have been defeated but they have not disappeared. They continue to gather financial resources to enhance their activities including through the use of new technologies.
Terrorism continues to thrive in armed conflict zones, where rule of law institutions and human rights have broken down.
It flourishes where poverty and hopelessness rule, especially among young people. Inequality, inter-community conflicts, xenophobia, and injustice often serve as fertile ground for terrorist groups to grow.
Mme. President,
Increased activity of Daesh, Al-Shabaab, Isil-K, Boko Haram, their ability to attack, move, fundraise, and communicate transnationally, exploit new technologies to spread their hateful propaganda, brainwash new recruits, and stay ahead of counter terror measures, point to the troubling reality that our existing policies are not working as effectively as they should. It shows that repressive policies and forceful means alone are not enough.
We are all aware of the ever-growing impact of new technologies in every aspect of development and life. This makes cyber-defense a priority matter of national security.
Cyber is a tool used not only by criminals but also by terrorists, be them state or non-state actors. We experienced it ourselves last July. Therefore, it is imperative that we keep it on top of the multilateral counter-terrorism agenda by working together to ensure appropriate responses, fit for our times and the digital age.
Mme. President,
Prevention is critical in our common fight against terrorism.
We need to win hearts and minds of the people, of the young people in particular, before the terrorist do so. We need to put bespoke programs in place that address in a comprehensive and sustainable manner the manifold drivers of terrorism.
Prevention requires good and transparent governance, development, rule of law, human rights, accountable institutions, health care including new forms of outreach through educational programs. To this end, we believe that the role of civil society including religious communities is crucial.
All preventive measures require time, energy, and resources: but in the long run, they are far more. Above all, they put people and victims of terrorism at the centre of efforts.
We must always be aware that repressive policies can be used also to deny basic rights, and exacerbate grievances and potential for added violence. We must always remember that successful counterterrorism and prevention of violent extremism efforts must be rooted in respect of human rights, including freedom of expression, and the rule-of-law.
Efforts to counter terrorism become counterproductive when used as a pretext to restrain freedom of religion or belief and other human rights and fundamental freedoms; when they target members of minorities; when they are used for repressive surveillance or for coercive population control. Such measures have little, if anything, to do with counterterrorism. They are human rights violations and abuses.
Mme. President,
We believe in close cooperation as a necessity to find solutions. That is why Albania has 16 regional and international agreements, on border management, exchange of data and mutual support.
Through prevention, closer cooperation, and coordination, we will all be better equipped to deal with this and other collective challenges. We highly value the support by the UNOCT to Member States in developing comprehensive assistance plans to better support victims of terrorism.
The unity of the Security Council on the nature of the threat and the means to deal with it is vital for our collective success as it has been demonstrated with the landmark unanimous adoption of resolution 1267 of this Council.
This spirit should continue and prevail, not become victim of narrow interests that prevent the Council to discharge its responsibilities.
Mme. President,
We must never forget that war begins in the minds of men and it is precisely there we need to work, also when developing a comprehensive strategy to defeat terrorism and enable people to lead normal lives in peace and dignity.
We must spare no effort to prevent the direct or indirect incitements to terror acts, any glorification of violence or of criminals, to stand strongly against hate speech and discrimination, while staying true to our tenet that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group.
For us here no doubt: it is through continued collective action that we will be able to successfully fighting terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, and wherever it occurs.
I thank you!