8 August 2024
Thank you, President and I also thank USG Voronkov and Executive Director Gherman for their briefings.
We welcome the continued focus on the need to continuously enhance joint efforts in countering the threat of terrorism.
The Nineteenth Report of the Secretary-General highlights with concern that the threat posed to international peace and security by Da’esh remains high, with the group and its affiliates continuing to demonstrate resilience and adaptability despite sustained counterterrorism efforts.
Malta is alarmed by the risk of resurgence of Da’esh in the Middle East, by the ability of the Khorasan branch of the Islamic State to project threats outside Afghanistan, as well as by the continuous focus of the activities of Da’esh in Africa. The proliferation of terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel continues to require our immediate attention.
We believe that our collective goals in addressing and curbing the threat of terrorism can be achieved through capacity building efforts aimed at enhancing capabilities of intelligence authorities, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and military authorities.
In this sense, we commend important counter-terrorism initiatives of the European Union in Africa, such as: the European Union’s military training missions in Somalia and Mozambique; the EU’s support for the creation of dedicated Gendarmerie CounterTerrorism units in the Sahel; the European Peace Facility’s support for the efforts of the Lake Chad Basin countries and the transregional Multinational Joint Task Force; and the EU’s funding of the global facility of the Malta-based International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) on Counter Terrorism Platform for Human Rights Engagements, which is providing capacity building activities to a number of African countries.
Malta also supports the proactive use of targeted sanctions to counter the threat of Da’esh & Al-Qaida as well as their affiliates. We welcome the recent renewal of the 1267 sanctions regime through resolution 2734 in this regard.
President
Security-centered approaches to counter terrorism must be accompanied by efforts that are human rights-based, genderresponsive and not in conflict with the humanitarian principles or conduct of principled humanitarian action. In this regard, states must ensure that counter-terrorism laws and practices comply with international human rights standards, that perpetrators are held accountable for human rights violations, including sexual and gender-based violence linked to terrorism and that women’s participation in decision-making processes related to counterterrorism and security is continuously promoted.
As the Report highlights, women, girls and boys face serious risks of gender-based violence by terrorist groups. Malta is deeply concerned by the Report’s references to Islamic State’s grave violations against girls in particular, through abduction, recruitment and sexual violence.
Malta is also alarmed that the situation faced by thousands of individuals, mostly women and children, in camps and other facilities in the north-east of the Syrian Arab Republic remains dire. Sustained humanitarian assistance remains key.
We reiterate the importance of preventive approaches within national policy frameworks. Meaningful engagement with youth groups, women-led organisations, and civil society fosters community resilience while preventing radicalization. In this regard, a whole of society approach, that promotes education and literacy skills, is a powerful tool in preventing and countering violent extremism. Advancing literacy skills across all populations also ensures the success of numerous global and national strategic communication campaigns aimed at mitigating the scourge of terrorism.
President
As we approach the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, marked every year on 21 August, we recognize the pivotal role of victims and survivors as agents for peace, and we are reminded of our duty to advance the protection, promotion and respect of the rights of victims of terrorism.
I thank you.