[Speaker A] [4.000s → 4.640s]: Buenos dias.
[Speaker B] [4.640s → 5.200s]: Distinguish.
[Speaker A] [6.320s → 46.830s]: Good afternoon, distinguished delegates. Distinguished colleagues, I apologize for beginning this meeting a little later than planned. I call to order the third to meet meeting of the sixth committee for the 80th session of the General Assembly. Distinguished delegates, the sixth committee will now continue with its debate On Agenda Item 109, Measures to Eliminate international terrorism. The report of the Secretary General on this item is contained in document A80, 177, which is available on the website of the sixth committee. The first speaker on the list is the distinguished representative of Brazil. You have the floor.
[Speaker C] [50.990s → 52.670s]: Muchas gracias, senhora.
[Speaker A] [53.390s → 60.280s]: Thank you very much, Madam Chair. It's an honour to take the floor. Law under your chairmanship still reaffirms its.
[Speaker C] [60.280s → 353.230s]: Unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. There can be no justification for terrorist acts in this regard. We have been emphasizing for years that any serious discussion on measures to eliminate international terrorism cannot fail to give due consideration to its underlying causes. The UN Global Counterterrorism strategy point us to conditions that are conducive to terrorism. Among them, protracted and unresolved conflicts. The dehumanization of victims, the lack of rule of law and violations of human rights. Ethnic, national and religious discrimination, political exclusion, socioeconomic marginalization and lack of good governance also play a role. In this context, the lack of recognition of the right to self determination and the resulting absence of a pathway to freedom might also cause radicalization that ends up swelling the ranks of terrorist groups. Unfortunately, we have not seen sufficient progress addressing the root causes of terrorism in recent years. On the contrary, the notion that peace can be imposed without justice, by the will of the strongest, without respect for international law and and for the legitimate aspirations and rights of entire peoples only tends to exacerbate violence and suffering. Bearing this in mind, we must choose the means to prevent encountered international terrorism. We cannot remain exclusively focused on security measures while lagging behind in promoting sustainable development and respect for international human rights law. This has a significant impact on our ability to prevent violent extremism conducive to terrorism and terrorism. In adopting measures to prevent and counter international terrorism, we must abide by the UN Charter and international human rights law. Nothing justifies disregarding sovereign equality and the rule of law, much less the barbarity of extrajudicial executions. Instruments such as international intelligence and legal cooperation allow for the fight against terrorism while respecting national sovereignty and international human rights law. Brazil has always supported these instruments and the exchange of best practices for their improvement. No less important than choosing how we fight is having clarity on what we are fighting. Different forms of harm require different approaches. Relevant conventions and General assembly and Security Council resolutions provide parameters for the understanding of what we should consider international terrorism, which is a phenomenon distinct from transnational organized crime. These parameters leave no room for distortions meant to serve the purpose of political persecution. Blurring the distinction between the two concepts can lead to serious policy mistakes and illegalities. In addition to politicizing law enforcement, justifying excess, excessive use of force and undermining international human rights law. The variety of definitions of terrorism in domestic laws illustrates our inability to be coherent in combating an enemy who knows no borders. Different United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while combating terrorism have repeatedly voiced concern on excessively broad and vague definitions of terrorism. This excessive vagueness that disregards elements present in international conventions and relevant UN resolutions. The political abuse of counterterrorism the fight against terrorism can only be effective and constructive if states refrain from politicizing it. In this Committee, we bear a special responsibility in this regard for clear legal frameworks help limit such abuses. The international community must agree on a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Despite well known differences on the matter, the UN member states finally concurred in action 23 of the pact for the future that we must consider revitalizing efforts to toward its conclusions. Its conclusion Let us not be immobilized by polarization. Let us not postpone again the moment of convening a high level conference under the auspice of the United nations to conclude a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. I thank you.
[Speaker A] [359.390s → 366.810s]: I thank the distinguished representative of Brazil for that statement. I'll now give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea.
[Speaker D] [369.130s → 697.920s]: Thank you, Madam Chair. My delegation joins the other delegates in extending our congratulations to you and the other members of the Bureau on your election. I would also like to thank the Secretariat for his efforts in preparing this meeting. The Republic of Korea remains deeply concerned that the scourge of terrorism continues to undermine international peace and security. As reiterated in the recent Secretary General's report, Daesh and Al Qaeda persist and are adapting across the world despite concerted global counterterrorism efforts. The cases in the aforementioned report demonstrate how terrorism exploits instability and division among states, underscoring the importance of maintaining a united front against terrorism no matter the circumstances. Reiterating our firm position that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations cannot and should not be tolerated or justified, I would like to highlight the following points. First, the international community should harness the rapid evolution of new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, to help counterterrorism. While terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting AI for propaganda and recruitment, AI also offers powerful tools to enhance our collective response to terrorism. Indeed, by responsibly leveraging AI driven analytics, we can improve threat detection disruptors narratives and bolster information integrity. In this regard, the Republic of Korea is pleased to provide updates regarding its AI and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism project designed in collaboration with UNOCT to Member States in order to review organizational readiness and challenges of Member States in safely and effectively adopting AI in their PCVE affairs in the near future. The project surveyed 125 individuals in 46 countries and found that only 24% of PCVE policymakers and practitioners are currently using AI in their work. Through the development of a global Practice Guide on AI and pcve, which will be presented in due course, the project will aim to fill this critical gap and serve as a timely and valuable resource for those seeking to incorporate responsible rights based AI tools into their PCB policies and programming activities. Second, a comprehensive and holistic approach is essential to effectively combat violent extremism and eliminate international terrorism, and our approaches should also be underpinned with a shared commitment to transparency, accountability and the rule of law to uphold these principles. In practice, a multi layered system of oversight in national counterterrorism frameworks is considered good practice, yet we note that these efforts can be inequitable and more challenging for some Member States given their limited resources and expertise. As a small effort to address this capacity gap and advance global best practices, the Republic of Korea has collaborated with CTET on the launch of a new Expert Forum on Intelligence Oversight. The project aims to ensure that states strengthen their oversight of national security agencies in south and Southeast Asia. It will deliver targeted capacity building and fruitful peer to peer knowledge exchange between states to better monitor, investigate and review intelligence activities. We hope this project will serve as a robust foundation for fostering human rights in national, regional and international city operations, and we invite regional states to join in this endeavor. Third, the Republic of Korea advocates for a reformed UN Counterterrorism framework that enhances vital coordination among all participating entities. The upcoming UN80 initiative provides a critical juncture to construct a more coherent counterterrorism system. We acknowledge the leadership of UNOCT in driving this reform, a role central to its original mandate, and we call on UNOCT to deliver concrete proposals that improve synergy between the compact entities. As established in recent consultations with Member States. This reform must prioritize a clear demarcation of responsibilities and Improve collaboration, not the consolidation of agencies. In this context, we reiterate our strong opposition to any new duplication of capacity building mandates, a concern validated by the recent OIOS report. We expect UNOCT to continue exercising its strategic leadership to prevent such overlaps. Madam Chair, to conclude, my delegation would like to reiterate our firm support for global counterterrorism efforts and the central role played by the UN and its organs. The Korean government remains committed to fully implementing the global counterterrorism strategy and relevant UN resolutions. We will continue to actively engage in all efforts to achieve a world free of terrorism, including the ongoing work in this very committee that aims to finalize the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. I thank you.
[Speaker A] [703.440s → 1078.010s]: I thank the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea. And I will now give the floor to the distinguished permanent representative of Mali. You have the floor, your Excellency. Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair. I'd like to begin by expressing to you the warm congratulations of the delegation of Mali and extend that to the other members of the Bureau. You can count on our full support. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the delegation of Iran on behalf of the Non Aligned Movement, by Cameroon on behalf of the African Group, by Saudi Arabia and by Venezuela on behalf of the Group of Friends for the defence of the UN Charter. I'd also like to thank the Secretary General for the report published under document number. I ask for the floor to highlight that the elimination of international terrorism is without doubt one of the most important topics for Mali and for all Sahel countries. Indeed, untimely military intervention, particularly in 2011 in Libya, has caused a humanitarian and security tragedy which is unprecedented in nature and has terrorized the population of the Sahel. This has further destabilized Libya and then led to the proliferation of armed groups of all forms in the Sahel region. There's now an incalculable number of armed groups, including terrorist groups. There are all forms of traffickers, armed gangs and others. A result of this avoidable tragedy is that we see many thousand dead, wounded, internally displaced persons, refugees, unprecedented material damage. We also are seeing institutional and political instability and economic deterioration. Currently, our region is suffering from the scourge of terrorism. They are depriving our population of their most basic rights, particularly to education, to health, to food, and the very freedom to come and go and to worship together. Terrorism is threatening the existence of our state. To address it, the Malian government has prepared a strategy to counter terrorism and violent extremism together with a plan of action. This strategy focuses a on a Holistic approach combining security, institutional, judicial and good governance measures, as well as humanitarian measures, together with development and diplomacy. We have been working on strengthening our institutional capacities through training and equipment for our defence and security forces in order to defend our national territory and to protect the Malian population. This investment has allowed us to redeploy the security forces across our national territory. In parallel with these measures, the government is supporting intra and inter religious dialogue mechanisms. We are training religious leaders and working on community cohesion. We are focusing on training for a culture of peace and rapid intervention projects for the most vulnerable population in the base of this crisis. On the institutional level, Mali has regulation and control policies. We have specialized police to combat terrorism and transnational organized crime. We have a national centre for transnational financial crime and a national hub to combat cybercrime. Further, the withdrawal of Mali from the crisis from the GAFI list, the Financial Action Task Force List. This decision comes as a result of sustained reforms. This was an important step for my country in terms of financial transparency and international cooperation. Chair. The transnational characteristics of international terrorism means that all states must be involved at a regional, continental and international level. With this spirit in mind, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have pooled their efforts within the Confederation of Sahel States in three major areas. Defence and security, development and diplomacy. Here we wish to pay tribute to the results that we've seen through our forces on the ground. In the latest report of the SG on the threat posed by Daesh and the action to help countries addressing this crisis underscores the crucial need for an effective response at a global level. This obviously involves a common understanding of the phenomenon and a convergence of solutions to to it. The international community must shoulder its responsibilities in order to prosecute and punish the perpetrators, but also those that are accomplices to this terrorist action. To conclude, on behalf of the government of Mali, I wish to express our gratitude to all of our partners who remain mobilized alongside us in this difficult, complex but very necessary struggle. We reaffirm my government's willingness to work with all countries to continue to fight terrorism and violent extremism. Thank you. I thank the distinguished representative of Mali. I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Algier.
[Speaker C] [1081.050s → 1082.410s]: Gracias, Senora.
[Speaker A] [1082.810s → 1085.210s]: Thank you for giving me the floor, Madam Chair.
[Speaker C] [1085.730s → 1086.370s]: Obedient.
[Speaker E] [1088.210s → 1400.590s]: Madam Chair. First, I would like to align ourselves to the statements delivered by the Non Aligned Movement, the OIC and the African Group. Madam Chair. Algeria reiterates its unequivocal combination of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of its motivations. Whenever, wherever or by whom, by whomsoever it is committed. We reiterate that misleading narrative that attempt to associate terrorism with any specific religion, civilization or geographic region should be avoided. Our fight should not be confined to terrorism. It should cover violent extremism and emerging threats, including xenophobia, islamophobia, Islamophobia and hate speech as new manifestations of violent extremism. Madam Chairu, we commend the progress made in banning the payment of ransom and the efforts made to dry up sources of financing terrorist groups. We are equally concerned about the increased link between terrorism and transnational organized crime, especially trafficking in drugs. Algeria believes that countering terrorism requires cooperation at the national, regional and international levels. Based Our approach is is based on implementing policies to fight exclusion, marginalization and social injustice, while promoting the rule of law as a safeguard against violent extremism. Nationally, Algeria promoted its operational and legal frameworks and adopted new legislations to fight the funding of terrorism. We have strengthened the operational agencies in countering terrorism regionally. Algeria shares its experience at the bilateral level to contribute to the stability of the region. We commend the efforts of AFRIPOL and the African Union center for Fighting Terrorism. Both are hosted by Algeria. In his capacity as the African Union Coordinator of countering terrorism, the President Abdel Majid Taboon recommended the enhancement of the continental capacities through a new Plan of Action and the operationalization of the EU Fund of Countering Terrorism, as well as establishing lists of African terrorists. Algeria, as the current chair of the Security Council Committee on Countering Terrorism, adopted the new Algeria guidelines on the prevention, detection and disruption of the use of the new and emerging financial technologies for terrorist purposes. It provides the framework to address the misuse of these emerging technologies. In the same context, the Security Council, upon an initiative from Algeria as President of the Council in last January, adopted a Presidential statement supports the efforts of fighting terrorism in Africa. Madam Chair, we view that our collective efforts should be guided by three basic principles Promoting institutional frameworks by regular funding and the promotion of the rule of law strengthening the joint mechanisms like AFRIPOL and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa and the African Union of Countering Terrorism and third is the adoption of comprehensive strategies that are human centered, consistent with silencing the guns within the 2063 agenda. Therefore, we support the sustainable solutions that are led by Africa and supported by continental and international strong partnerships as the optimal path to overcome the challenges and building safe and prosperous communities in Africa. In conclusion, we believe that achieving a world free of the scourge of terrorism can be achieved only through collective action and comprehensive approaches and unwavering support. Therefore, we reiterate our call to continue the negotiations on a comprehensive convention on countering terrorism within this Sixth Committee. Thank you for your attentive listening.
[Speaker B] [1406.860s → 1413.740s]: I would like to thank Algeria. And I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United States.
[Speaker F] [1414.460s → 1646.650s]: Terrorism continues to be one of the most challenging threats to international peace and security. The nature of the terrorist threat constantly evolves with emerging technology increasingly being used for terrorist purposes. Yet the devastation that terrorism wreaks on our families, communities and nations is the same. It is abhorrent, catastrophic, and unacceptable. The United nations has long recognized that acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivations. The United States stands steadfast in our commitment to pursue measures to eliminate international terrorism, and we urge all other nations to do the same. We are disappointed to see delegations in the Sixth Committee to make political statements about specific conflict situations. The United States has made its views clear about politically motivated accusations of genocide against Israel. We reject such statements, which have no place in in this debate. Effective counterterrorism measures involve disrupting terrorist networks, holding state sponsors accountable, securing our borders, and degrading the capacity of terrorist groups to attack our territories and citizens. It is also critical that we address the connections between transnational organized crime and terrorism, including by enhancing our law enforcement cooperation to investigate and prosecute terrorists who benefit from the illicit trafficking of drugs and other criminal activities. We also must do more to stop the travel, recruitment and financing of terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters. As the United nations has acknowledged, such offenders must be prosecuted and penalized in a manner reflecting the seriousness of the offense. To ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, we need to remain focused on the ISIS detention facilities and displaced persons camps in Northeast Syria. Repatriation of Member States nationals from northeast symptoms Syria is essential to preventing a resurgence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria and the uncontrolled return of foreign terrorist fighters and their associated family members to countries of origin. In the future. It is critical that all efforts to counter and prevent terrorism respect human rights, including freedoms of expression and religion or belief and the rule of law. In fact, efforts to stifle human rights and fundamental freedoms under the guise of counterterrorism are counterproductive and can even provide fuel for terrorist narratives and recruitment. Concerning a comprehensive convention on International Terrorism, we will listen carefully to delegates statements. However, it is critical that the United nations sends united, unambiguous signals when it comes to terrorism. Otherwise, we risk some of the progress that we have made to close. The United States is focused on proper burden sharing from partners to defeat our shared threat from terrorism. Thank you, Chair.
[Speaker B] [1655.290s → 1679.030s]: I thank the distinguished representative of the United States for her statement. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished delegates, the representative of the United States of America was the last speaker on this item for this morning. We will continue the debate On Agenda Item 109, Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism, this afternoon at 3:00pm the meeting is adjourned.