A/62/PV.118 General Assembly

Terrorism is a serious threat to international peace and security — an assault on the principles of law and order, human rights and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Terrorism runs counter to the principles and purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. In the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit, our leaders unanimously declared their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, by whomsoever, wherever and for whatever purpose committed. Building on that historic high-level consensus, the General Assembly successfully negotiated and adopted the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in 2006. The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, with its annexed plan of action, was a milestone in the fight against terrorism. For the first time, all States Members of the United Nations agreed to undertake a common strategic approach to combating terrorism through individual and collective steps on the four most important aspects: addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, preventing and combating terrorism, strengthening States’ capacity and the role of the United Nations system, and respecting human rights and the rule of law while countering terrorism. The General Assembly also decided in 2006 to make the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy a living document by examining two years thence the progress made in the implementation of the Strategy and by considering updating the Strategy to respond to changes. My delegation is impressed by the commitment shown and the measures undertaken by Member States as well as the United Nations system to implement the Global Strategy. We welcome the report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the United Nations system in implementing the Strategy, contained in document A/62/898, and support the request that the Secretary-General submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session a report on the progress made in the Strategy’s implementation. Viet Nam has always maintained that the measures to be taken against terrorism must be comprehensive, balanced and in compliance with international law, in particular the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of States. At the same time, we have emphasized the need to address the root causes of terrorism and insisted that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. We recognize the leading role of the United Nations and the paramount importance of international, regional and subregional cooperation and coordination in the implementation of the Global Strategy. We support the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force to ensure coordination and coherence in the work of the departments, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations that are providing assistance to Member States in their counter- terrorism endeavours. We look forward to further interacting with the Task Force on how best to carry out its mandates. As a member of the Security Council, Viet Nam will continue to fully support and constructively contribute to the work of the Council’s subsidiary bodies with mandates in the field of counter-terrorism. Viet Nam is resolutely pursuing a foreign policy of peace, stability, cooperation and development. We consistently support efforts towards the peaceful settlement of conflicts, upholding national independence and sovereignty, promoting development programmes, cooperating to tackle global issues and establishing equal international political and economic relations for mutual benefit. As a friend and reliable partner of all countries striving for peace, independence, cooperation and development, the Vietnamese people and State have been making tremendous efforts to carry out the 10-year socio-economic development strategy for the period from 2001 to 2010. That will enable Viet Nam to fulfil a number of Millennium Development Goals ahead of schedule, especially those in the area of poverty reduction. We strongly believe that those policies and achievements contribute positively to the maintenance of political stability, social and economic equality and the rule of law in Viet Nam, which constitute important components of a preventive strategy against terrorism. In the face of the emergence of contemporary international terrorism, Viet Nam is fully committed to its obligations under the relevant Security Council resolutions and multilateral and regional treaties to which it is party. In order to combat terrorism, Viet Nam is determined to strengthen the country’s capacity and to develop cooperative ties with countries of the region and throughout the world. Efforts have been made to enhance the national legal and institutional frameworks against terrorism and other terrorist-related crimes. The National Assembly has included in its legislative programme the revision of our penal code as regards the definition and punishment of terrorism. In November 2007, the Prime Minister of Viet Nam adopted a directive document setting up a governmental mechanism to coordinate the counter- terrorism policies of all ministries and branches. That mechanism reports directly to the Prime Minister. An agency has also been established within the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate counter-terrorism operations in the field, including as regards training and capacity-building. Several technical assistance programmes are being developed — or are already being carried out bilaterally or through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) or such United Nations agencies as the Office on Drugs and Crime, the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate — to provide Vietnamese law enforcement agencies with updated databases, technologies and experiences to deal with today’s terrorism and transnational organized crime. In 2007, we joined with ASEAN member countries to adopt the Association’s Convention on Counter-Terrorism, which provides an appropriate legal framework for ASEAN cooperation in countering terrorism. We work with ASEAN countries in promoting inter-civilizational dialogue, raising awareness of and vigilance against terrorist organizations and their activities, and strengthening commitment among member countries with regard to the timely provision of information and assistance in criminal matters, including legal assistance. Reaching consensus in adopting the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was an outstanding achievement of the international community in the fight against terrorism. To keep the agreements in the Strategy alive and to further update them in line with existing realities is a shared responsibility of Member States. It requires the United Nations system and other relevant international, regional and subregional organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations, to step up their efforts in a coordinated and integrated manner in supporting Member States. My delegation believes that we should keep on the agenda of the General Assembly an item that allows stakeholders of the Global Strategy to discuss and reach agreement on measures to further enhance the implementation of the Strategy.

The delegation of Bangladesh welcomes this opportunity to participate in the first biennial review meeting on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We align ourselves with the statement made by the representative of Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. We thank the Secretary-General for his report (A/62/898) on the activities of the United Nations system in implementing the Strategy. We also owe our appreciation to Ambassador Rosenthal of Guatemala for his successful stewardship of the negotiations on the draft outcome document of today’s meeting. The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is the product of much-prolonged and intense negotiations. Indeed, that was our first significant achievement in articulating a coordinated global response to the most visible security threat of our time. That gives a sense of urgency to making an initial assessment of where we stand and what we need to do globally as well as nationally. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. The issue has been on the United Nations agenda for many decades. What is different today is that terrorism has assumed new and diabolical ways to kill, maim and cause massive destruction. While we note that it is urgent to mount an immediate response to terrorism, an effective medium- to long-term strategy has been lacking. An effective response should embody sincere attempts to address the root causes of the phenomenon. That includes addressing long-standing conflicts, peoples’ right to self-determination, political oppression, social and economic marginalization, and victimization. In order to successfully implement the plan of action of the strategic framework, all those issues should receive focused attention from the international community. A lopsided response is bound to yield incoherent results. Similarly, an unqualified and indiscriminate response to terrorism may often be counterproductive. Such measures obscure the fact that counter-terrorism and the development of a culture of peace and tolerance are interrelated. Terrorism is all pervasive. Terrorism is indiscriminate with respect to race, religion, culture or faith. Any attempt to associate terrorism with any particular nation, culture or religion is grossly wrong and unacceptable. We at the United Nations need to keep the issues focused on the priorities. We should work to fulfil the agreed development goals, as economic exclusion provides fertile ground for extremist elements. We need to refocus the global debate on victims’ rights, building capacity to strengthen the rule of law and the promotion of good governance. We maintain that the United Nations has a central coordinating role to play in organizing international efforts to counter terrorism on the basis of the relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council. A number of mechanisms have been established at the United Nations in the past few years in response to terrorism. They include a number of sanctions committees established pursuant to Security Council resolutions, the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. Those entities were established on the basis of individual requirements and for specific actions. Creating a multiplicity of entities with limited mandates is not necessarily the best way to provide a coherent response to terrorism. The Task Force, for instance, does not have any institutional relationship with any intergovernmental body. It is also severely under-resourced. Consequently, little if any input flows to the General Assembly, depriving it of the scope to discuss actions of the Task Force. The fact that the Task Force lacks a secretariat does not allow Member States to receive the assistance they need in implementing the Global Strategy. We would therefore stress the importance of institutionalizing the Task Force. We also welcome the proposed interaction between the Task Force and the General Assembly through briefings and reports, as set out in draft resolution A/62/L.48 before us. The pending comprehensive convention on international terrorism should be finalized by addressing the issue of State terrorism. It should contain a legal definition of terrorism in the first place. While elaborating the Convention, we must make a distinction between terrorism and the legitimate right of peoples under foreign occupation to self- determination and to struggle for independence. Turning to the national level, let me reiterate that Bangladesh unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We believe that no act of terrorism should be condoned because of its circumstances, method or objective. At the same time, we believe that the root causes of terrorism should be addressed. International efforts to combat terrorism would be more effective if we were to address conditions of prolonged and unresolved conflicts, political exclusion and socio-economic marginalization, and to promote sustained economic growth. Bangladesh is a pioneer in promoting a culture of peace and ethnic and religious tolerance. Numerous development programmes — including ones relating to microcredit, the empowerment of women and non-formal education — have been undertaken to address poverty and socio-economic disparity. We have also pursued motivational measures to halt the abuse of religion as a pretext for undertaking acts of terror. Religious leaders, including imams, have played an instrumental role in that regard. We have also promoted interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and our media have played an important role in raising awareness against terrorism and extremism. At the regional level, Bangladesh, as a party to the relevant regional conventions, remains determined to combat cross-border crime and terrorism. Bangladesh, as a State party to all 13 United Nations conventions and protocols on terrorism, has adopted a number of legislative and administrative measures that are in line with the four pillars of the plan of action of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We have worked with delegations from the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate to fine-tune Bangladesh’s counter-terrorism readiness to international levels. In order to address the financing of terrorism, the Money Laundering Prevention Act of 2002 has been amended as the Money Laundering Prevention Ordinance of 2007. A financial intelligence unit has been established in the anti-money-laundering department of the central bank of Bangladesh. We are still in the process of enacting enabling legislation and modifying relevant domestic laws. The menace of terrorism cannot be fought in an isolated manner by any single State. We would therefore like to see a holistic approach to our global fight against terrorism. We feel that technical cooperation and international financial assistance in combating terrorism are still not adequate to allow developing countries to meet their challenges, in particular least developed countries. We would therefore urge that the necessary technical and financial resources be geared up to that end for the effective implementation of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

At the outset, I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly for the energy and interest he has devoted to the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the course of the past year. I would also like to thank Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala for his excellent work; the Secretary-General for his report (A/62/898); and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force for all its work. Switzerland will continue to cooperate closely with the Task Force and to support efforts to further institutionalize it and to increase its resources so that it can appropriately carry out its tasks. I should also like to draw the Assembly’s attention to the position paper that Switzerland has circulated in the Hall along with its statement. The Strategy provides a comprehensive framework for a coherent international response to terrorism. It reminds us that, in order to be effective, the global fight against terrorism must focus on non-military tools and be based on the Strategy’s four pillars. My Government would like to expand dialogue with the Task Force and its working group on integrated strategy implementation. We would like to explore ways for Member States to improve cooperation with the United Nations system and among themselves in order to improve integrated implementation. In addition to national efforts undertaken by Swiss authorities, I should like to refer to some examples of Switzerland’s contribution to the integrated implementation of the Strategy. Beginning last year, Switzerland has provided financial support for several activities of the Task Force’s working group on tackling the financing of terrorism. We have also contributed to its work by deploying a group of experts. Furthermore, Switzerland has facilitated the holding of meetings between the relevant Task Force stakeholders and representatives of the private sector to foster public-private partnerships in the fight against terrorism. In addition, Switzerland cooperates closely with the different counter-terrorism subsidiary bodies of the Security Council and supports them in the fulfilment of their tasks. Switzerland has also provided support for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime project on strengthening the legal counter-terrorism regime. In that context, I am pleased to announce that, on 15 October 2008, Switzerland will deposit its instruments of ratification or accession to the four most recent universal conventions and protocols against terrorism. We thereby hope to be among the first States to have ratified all 16 United Nations conventions and protocols against terrorism. Through the Strategy, the General Assembly aimed to ensure that fair and transparent procedures exist for the listing and delisting of persons and entities on the Consolidated List maintained by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999), as well as for the granting of humanitarian exceptions. To that end, Switzerland — together with the Governments of Denmark, Germany, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands and Sweden — has proposed that an effective review mechanism be established within the Security Council. As the Assembly is aware, the Court of Justice of the European Communities yesterday rendered an important judgement on the review of the internal lawfulness of Community measures implementing sanctions of the Security Council. It decided to annul the Community regulations violating the fundamental rights of complainants. We regret that discrepancy between the decisions of the Security Council and the requirements of European Union law in terms of the protection of fundamental rights. We shall attentively follow the consequences of that judgement, in Europe and elsewhere, and will continue our efforts to find a solution. I would like to reiterate the importance of strengthening capacity-building measures for the effective implementation of the Strategy. Since 2003, Switzerland has funded security assistance and counter-terrorism capacity-building programmes in various countries and regions. For example, in Afghanistan we have financed the establishment of an electronic payroll management system and a gender mainstreaming programme for the Afghan National Police. Last year, in order to complement the various Global Strategy implementation activities, Switzerland joined Costa Rica, Japan, Slovakia and Turkey and, with the support of the International Center on Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation, launched an international process on global counter-terrorism cooperation. In the course of this year, experts from Governments, relevant United Nations bodies and other multilateral institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations from various regions, have discussed ways of strengthening the Strategy’s four pillars in an effort to step up and better balance its implementation. The final document presented by the sponsors on 24 July 2008 to the wider membership of the United Nations reflects the key elements of the discussions that took place. It contains 19 proposals for improving the implementation of the Strategy. Copies of that document are available in English, French and Spanish at the back of the Hall. Allow me to highlight four issues that were repeatedly addressed during the process in the past year. First of all, the importance of better linking United Nations efforts with national efforts was emphasized continuously throughout the process. There was a sense that national counter-terrorism coordinators and focal points from capitals should meet periodically to discuss concrete Strategy-related issues with the Task Force, assess Strategy implementation efforts, determine policy direction and consider how the United Nations could support national efforts. Such meetings, which could be organized by the United Nations or by individual States and take place in different regions, should include the diverse array of Strategy-related stakeholders, including members of the Task Force and regional and subregional bodies. The Government of Switzerland is willing to consider supporting specific activities of the Task Force or meetings that would allow for an exchange of views between the United Nations system and national counter-terrorism coordinators or focal points. Secondly, the point was repeatedly made that there is a need to broaden Member State participation in United Nations counter-terrorism policymaking. The second paragraph of the process’ final document provides a number of proposals aimed at addressing this issue. Those range from strengthening the informal briefings that the Task Force already provides, to the establishment of a new counter-terrorism body or open- ended working group, to the more frequent use of existing forums, such as plenary meetings of the General Assembly. Thirdly, as the implementation of the Strategy moves to the next phase, it is important to engage both traditional and non-traditional counter-terrorism actors within the United Nations and at the national level. Fourthly and lastly, regional and subregional bodies and civil society have essential roles to play in implementing the Strategy that have yet to be fully explored and fully carried out. In conclusion, it is widely acknowledged that the adoption of the Strategy was a significant political achievement that must be not only preserved but also built upon, both during the September review and beyond. The Strategy provides Member States an opportunity to develop more holistic approaches at the national level to combating terrorism. What are the challenges ahead? The final document of the international process that Switzerland and other countries have sponsored could provide a basis for immediate and future efforts. Based on the discussions in the process, it appears that three broad areas merit further consideration. They include, first, the cooperation of entities with different legal status throughout the United Nations system; secondly, the issue of the governance architecture for such a system; and, thirdly, the relationship between Member States and secretariats of the different organizations. Switzerland, of course, remains fully committed to tackling those important issues.

At the outset, I would like to reiterate Liechtenstein’s strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes. We are fully committed to international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and in particular to the leading role of the United Nations in that regard. We would like to join other speakers in thanking Ambassador Rosenthal of Guatemala for his excellent work in facilitating the negotiations on the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) on the review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We note with satisfaction that the draft resolution reaffirms the Strategy and its four pillars in their entirety. That underlines the historic and integral character of the Strategy, which continues to serve as the central guide for all United Nations activities in the fight against terrorism. While much of the discussion leading to the consensus on this draft resolution has focused on the role of the United Nations Secretariat, the primary responsibility for implementation lies with Member States. Liechtenstein continues to take all the necessary measures at the domestic level to implement all international standards related to counter-terrorism and to facilitate international cooperation in that area. Earlier this year, Liechtenstein ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and two of its protocols. The ratification of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism is in preparation, as are legislative reforms regarding the implementation of international sanctions regimes and related international cooperation. Every effort is made to ensure that the Liechtenstein financial centre is not abused for illegal activities, such as the financing of terrorism in particular. The Government is actively following up on the recent assessment carried out by the International Monetary Fund and is pursuing the implementation of the third Money-Laundering Directive of the European Union, as well as the Financial Action Task Force’s Recommendations on Terrorist Financing. Liechtenstein also supports a number of specific international projects in the area of counter-terrorism and has made substantive contributions to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Programme against Terrorism in particular. While the primary responsibility for implementation rests with us, the Member States, a broad range of United Nations actors are involved as well. Many of those activities — in particular in the area of conflict prevention and resolution, development and the promotion of human rights — do not necessarily carry the label of counter-terrorism but still form an integral part of the Strategy. Others pertain to the core of international counter-terrorist cooperation. We commend the Secretariat’s Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force for its invaluable efforts in bringing coherence and coordination to those activities. We are confident that the Task Force will continue to work with Member States in a spirit of transparency and cooperation. We recognize the Task Force’s efforts in that respect. The United Nations plays an important role in almost all areas of international cooperation against terrorism, but it has particular authority over, and responsibility in, ensuring that such activities are carried out in a manner that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms. The multiple manifestations of terrorism that the world has experienced in recent years have challenged States and international organizations to devise appropriate responses in conformity with the rule of law. The draft resolution before us today calls upon all United Nations entities to continue to facilitate the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. Liechtenstein will continue to contribute to those efforts and that dialogue, in particular as regards the Security Council’s efforts to ensure that fair and clear procedures exist for placing individuals and entities on sanctions lists. Like my Swiss colleague before me, I would like to refer to the judgment rendered yesterday by the European Court of Justice, which is highly important in that regard. The topic requires our enhanced focus and attention, and we hope that the Security Council will make the necessary adjustments in its current practice to safeguard the basic tenets of due process. In that connection, I would like to remind delegations of our invitation to participate in a seminar on targeted sanctions and the rule of law, to be held jointly by the American University Washington College of Law and the Government of Liechtenstein on 15 September in Washington, D.C. In conclusion, I would like to commend the Secretary-General’s initiative to hold an international symposium on the victims of terrorism at United Nations Headquarters next week. All too often in responses to terrorist attacks, the plight of the victims plays only a secondary role and their rights remain unaddressed. We hope that that initiative will be a step in the right direction.

The United States welcomes the review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The unanimous adoption of the Strategy by the General Assembly at its sixtieth session marked the first time that all United Nations Member States had agreed on a common strategic approach to fighting terrorism. The Strategy represents a pragmatic, action-oriented approach to that end. Today, global terrorism remains one of our greatest collective challenges. It affects the lives of all peoples and all nations in both direct and indirect ways. No geographic region is immune. The recent terrorist attacks specifically targeting United Nations offices in Algiers and United Nations officials underscore the need for all Member States to work together to support the General Assembly’s counter- terrorism efforts. The success of the review is a testament to the resiliency of our collective will to battle terrorism, and the United States welcomes it. The United States remains strongly committed to supporting the efforts of both the General Assembly and the Security Council to that end. We appreciate the hard work that has gone into producing a thoughtful and balanced document. We believe that the review will enhance the overall United Nations counter-terrorism programme. We especially appreciate the efforts of the facilitator, Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, Permanent Representative of Guatemala. He has done a superb job working with Member States to achieve unanimous support for the draft review resolution. The United States strongly supports the central role of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism and wants to strengthen the Organization’s ability and the resolve to play a constructive and effective role. The United States views the creation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force as a key milestone in the international effort to eliminate terrorism. We must ensure the full and effective implementation of the Strategy. We must also continue to cooperate with the counter-terrorism Committees of the Security Council to ensure that our obligations under the Charter are fully implemented and that those Member States having the will, but not the capacity, to fulfil those obligations receive the help that they need to do so. We appreciate the efforts of the Secretariat to set up the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, which has moved to mobilize the United Nations and its constituent agencies to identify concrete deliverables under each of the four topical pillars of the Strategy. We call on those Member States that are in a position to do so to respond to the call of the Task Force for contributions. To that end, the United States has provided a voluntary contribution of nearly half a million dollars to support the working groups of the Task Force. Additionally, we have provided extensive responses to the working groups’ requests concerning radicalization and extremism and countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes. We call on the Task Force to continue to engage Member States on its work by providing information and updates on the working groups’ activities. The engagement of the United States in support of the Strategy is structured for the implementation of all four pillars of the Strategy. We recognize the need to build Member States’ capacity to meet international counter-terrorism standards. The United States has funded numerous cooperative and capacity-building initiatives to help partner nations to better address terrorism, with the long-term goal of reducing conditions conducive to terrorism. In 2007 alone, we conducted 266 training activities and technical consultations, including more than 4,500 participants from 64 countries and emphasizing law enforcement under the rule of law and respect for human rights. We have offered extensive counter-terrorism finance capacity-building efforts on a regional and bilateral basis in 45 countries through our counter-terrorism finance training programme. We have provided border security training and capacity- building in 20 countries through the Terrorist Interdiction Program. In addition, the United States is focused on increasing economic development by helping Member States to tackle poverty, unemployment, weak institutions and corruption. That can help to reduce the recruiting pool for terrorists. As a complement to our own bilateral efforts, we support the holistic approach to countering terrorism embraced in the Strategy and reaffirmed in the review. If we, as Member States, are to be successful in our common struggle against terrorism, we must work together with our growing networks of partners in a strategic and coordinated manner. While we think that the Security Council should continue to play a key part in the efforts of the United Nations, many others in the United Nations system can and should make contributions to the broader counter- terrorism effort, whether it concerns capacity-building, education, economic development or helping to address the underlying conditions that terrorists and extremists exploit. The effectiveness of United Nations efforts to manage and reduce the terrorist threat will depend to a large degree on improving the coordination among the various parts of the United Nations counter-terrorism programme and ensuring that all relevant United Nations bodies and organs are focused on making practical contributions to the global effort. To that end, we believe that the United Nations Strategy should remain focused on identifying concrete ways in which the various parts of the United Nations system can contribute to the global counter-terrorism campaign and ensure the necessary degree of cooperation and coordination to maximize synergies and avoid duplication of work. The Strategy brought together the efforts of the principal organs of the United Nations. Each has an important role to play in coordination with the others, but a balance must be maintained to ensure that the expertise of those bodies is used to the maximum degree of efficiency in United Nations counter- terrorism activities. We believe that a key objective of the Strategy is system-wide coherence, and the Task Force should continue to stress cooperation among all the United Nations offices that can support counter- terrorism efforts within their mandates. That approach recognizes that diverse United Nations programmes can provide a useful impetus to efforts to address terrorism. We believe that all programmes can and should play vital and meaningful roles in the fight against terrorism. The United States once again thanks the Secretary-General and his team for their hard work in facilitating the completion of the review process. We look forward to hearing the views of others and to reports of great progress in our collective effort.

Today, we are meeting once again, united in our condemnation of terrorism, that scourge that constitutes an aggression against humanity as a whole and a global problem that should be tackled jointly by all of us. In that vein, the Assembly adopted the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy by resolution 60/288. Jordan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of its perpetrators and purposes. It believes that terrorism is an international scourge that should be uprooted and eradicated through concerted international efforts, since terrorism does not recognize any borders or belong to any homeland or country. Hence, we emphasize our rejection of attempts to link terrorism with any group, ethnicity, culture, religion or civilization. Eradication of terrorism cannot be achieved solely by deterrent security and military measures, but rather through addressing underlying political, economic, cultural and social causes. Here we should like to stress the need to respect the rule of law and human rights in the international and national fight against terrorism. Jordan attaches great importance to today’s meeting to review the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy and highly appreciates the efforts made by His Excellency the Permanent Representative of Guatemala to achieve the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) on the Strategy. Jordan has taken a number of measures at all levels to combat terrorism. At the level of national legislation, Jordanian law has defined terrorism within the penal code. In 2001 the Government adopted a law amending the penal code of Jordan, by virtue of which severe punishment is imposed on any action legally deemed to be a terrorist act. That law contains provisions that criminalize, punish and ban illegal groups engaged in criminal or terrorist acts. People who assist and support such groups suffer the same punishment. In the field of border control, Jordanian Law of Customs No. 3 of 1998 gives Customs personnel the capacity and competences of investigating magistrates to investigate smuggling, be it of people or prohibited materials, in addition to imposing stringent and improved oversight on all borders and checkpoints. The Government of Jordan has adopted numerous measures to confront cyber-terrorist attacks. At the executive level, after the Security Council adopted the counter-terrorism resolution 1373 (2001), the Government took a number of measures, issuing instructions to all banks to audit their clients’ accounts and to freeze any assets the Government required them to, as well as special directives on money-laundering. Identity cards and passports are issued in accordance with international criteria to prevent falsification of those important documents. Jordan also cooperates with INTERPOL and many friendly countries in the fight against terrorism through bilateral agreements and security cooperation. Security organs monitor the purchase and sale of hazardous substances and raw materials in order to prevent them being used for terrorist acts. We have also acceded to a number of international anti-terrorism conventions, and we are now studying acceding to other international anti-terrorism conventions and agreements.

The fight against terrorism is a priority for Canada at the national and international levels. The protection and security of its citizens is the most fundamental role and the most important obligation of a Government. Terrorism is a direct threat to our way of life and our fundamental values — democracy, respect for human rights, the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of conflict. The threat posed by terrorism transcends national borders, which means that no State can undertake that fight alone. The United Nations, as the sole international organization to have a fully global mandate and having itself been the target of terrorists, must fight against terrorism while continuing to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights. The adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy marked an important step in reaffirming the commitment of the United Nations to fight terrorism. Moreover, the adoption of the Strategy demonstrated that the General Assembly could act decisively to confront today’s international challenges. (spoke in English) The two-year review of the Strategy provides an opportunity to reaffirm our joint commitment to the Strategy and to enhance its implementation worldwide. While the Strategy is an expression of our collective concern and commitment, responsibility for its implementation lies primarily with Member States. Since 2006 Canada has made significant efforts to implement the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, both nationally and internationally. Canada has ratified 12 of the 13 United Nations conventions and protocols on terrorism, and has signed and is working towards the ratification of the thirteenth — the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. We have invested significantly in law enforcement, security intelligence, and transportation and border security. Canada’s Parliament has actively debated and passed several key pieces of legislation to strengthen its national counter-terrorism legal framework. In keeping with our strong belief that respect for human rights and the rule of law must be at the centre of both international and national efforts to fight terrorism, Canada has consistently sought to balance human rights and national security in all of its counter- terrorism efforts. Civil society has an important role to play in that regard, and Canada has enacted a number of measures domestically to engage civil society in a dialogue on counter-terrorism issues. Internationally, we continue to collaborate with a broad range of bilateral partners on a range of counter- terrorism issues and to work in multilateral and regional forums such as the Organization of American States, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the African Union to enhance their ability to fight terrorism within their respective mandates. Emphasizing the primary role of Member States, the Strategy’s plan of action focuses on the need for effective capacity-building to develop State capacity to prevent and combat terrorism. Since 2006, Canada’s Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program has invested significantly in a range of projects to enhance the abilities of partner countries to fight terrorism. In particular, Canada’s contributions to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have enhanced the Organization’s efforts to encourage the ratification and implementation of the universal instruments against terrorism. Canada is also working closely with the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) to better channel its capacity-building assistance throughout the world. We are encouraged by the new strategic vision and leadership of CTED, which is confirming its pre-eminent role in New York. In addition to national efforts, entities within the United Nations system must also continue to enhance their efforts to implement the Strategy. The Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force has a special role to play in that regard. Canada supports the Task Force’s role in coordinating the contributions of United Nations system entities to Strategy implementation. We urge the Secretary-General to allocate funding to that initiative in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Strategy itself, as outlined in resolution 60/288. We applaud the important work that the Task Force has done to date and the proactive manner in which representatives of various United Nations entities have approached their task. That said, the time has now come for greater interaction between the Task Force and its working groups with Member States. Canada is interested in working with the Task Force to enhance that interaction in coming months. Canada fully supports the draft resolution that is before us today. We would like to express our appreciation to Ambassador Rosenthal and his team for taking on the difficult task of facilitating the negotiations and for leading the process in so efficient a manner. We were delighted to see so much support for the Strategy during the negotiations and to hear so many calls for further implementation. In closing, allow me to add that Canada intends to do its part to continue to implement the Strategy in the coming two years and beyond. We will continue to enhance our own domestic framework to fight terrorism; we will maintain our efforts at the regional level through continued engagement with regional organizations; and we will enhance our multilateral efforts through better cooperation with CTED, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Task Force. We are convinced that there will be much further progress to report in two years’ time.

At the outset, allow me to thank the President of the Assembly for convening this important meeting on a subject that is so close to the heart of every Israeli citizen. Israel’s delegation is honoured by the presence here earlier today of the Secretary-General and the President of the Assembly, lending the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy the high profile it deserves. We would also like to commend the Permanent Representative of Guatemala for his relentless efforts to reach a consensus on the important draft resolution that will be adopted later. In order to utilize our time more effectively, I will present only part of our prepared remarks. For the full version, I encourage representatives to read the distributed text or visit our Mission’s website. I would like to emphasize the importance Israel attributes to the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy as a comprehensive and holistic instrument that highlights the different aspects of the fight against terrorism. Indeed, as terrorism is a universal phenomenon that threatens international peace and security, only a joint effort by all Member States, international and regional organizations and other relevant actors can effectively eradicate that danger. The four pillars of the Strategy represent this multipronged approach to fighting terrorism, and they should be implemented in a comprehensive manner in order to achieve our common goals. The State of Israel has been challenged by terrorism from its very beginning. Israelis and Israeli interests have been the target of terrorist attacks abroad, along our borders to the North and South, and in the very heart of the country. That unique and unfortunate history has put our country at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. Over decades, Israel has developed legislative and operational tools to support its counter-terrorism activities. Since the most important task now before Member States is to fully implement the Strategy, I would like to share with this Assembly some of my country’s experience gained in those efforts. The State of Israel is committed to fully implementing its obligation to take the measures necessary to prevent and combat terrorism. In that regard, Israel is currently drafting a new comprehensive anti-terrorism law and is engaged in an ongoing process to ensure that all domestic legislation conforms to the international instruments dealing with terrorism. Those instruments and Israel’s domestic laws together provide a solid foundation for the Government’s counter-terrorism activities. The Strategy correctly emphasizes the need for cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels. Israel is a donor country, and part of our international cooperation involves sharing our knowledge and expertise to build State capacity in other nations. Israel also supports the Strategy’s emphasis on regional cooperation and has ongoing cooperative relationships such with regional and multilateral organizations as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union in the field of counter-terrorism. The Government is also developing a cooperative relationship with the Organization of American States. On the international level, Israel is looking into avenues of cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. Cooperation is not limited to Government mechanisms alone. Israel’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, an academic think tank, is cooperating with many partners around the world. One example of an Institute project is an upcoming seminar being conducted for officials from the Horn of Africa. Other examples of private initiatives in the area of counter-terrorism are provided in our written statement. Terrorism is an evolving menace. Likewise, the response of the international community must be flexible, with the ability to quickly and effectively adapt to any new form the threat may take. On the technical side, Israel is taking advantage of innovations in identity verification and is in the process of replacing national identification cards and travel documents with new biometric cards, which will be much more difficult to duplicate. Technological advances, however, will not provide all the tools we need; the political will to address incitement through education and public awareness programmes that encourage respect for all faiths is also required. In adopting the Strategy, Member States committed themselves to promoting a culture of peace and respect for all religions. States and other relevant actors must work to end deliberate radicalization, in particular of youth. One example of such a project in Israel was initiated by our new Permanent Representative, Ambassador Gabriela Shalev, in her previous capacity as the head of an academic institution. That unique project, which began last year, brings together leaders from the nation’s major religions — Jewish, Muslim, Druze and Christian — in a programme leading to a law degree. The weekly meetings at Ono Academic College provide a venue for serious interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Since the students are also leaders of high standing in their faiths, they bring home their newfound knowledge and understanding of other religions to share with their respective communities. Israel recognizes that the promotion and protection of human rights is an essential component of the Strategy. It is a matter of principle that, in spite of the constant terrorist threat against Israeli civilians, national security considerations cannot justify unlimited restrictions on human rights. In that regard, it should be emphasized that all aspects of Israel’s counter-terrorism activities are subject to the rule of law and to judicial review. That principled approach is evident in numerous decisions handed down by the country’s Supreme Court in recent years dealing with different counter-terrorism measures. Finally, the victims of terrorism must not be overlooked. The Global Strategy calls for national programmes to assist victims and for an international campaign condemning terrorism. Israel has in place a comprehensive system, led by the Social Security Service, which is responsible for compensation and social, medical and psychological support for victims of terrorism and their families. While the Government has an important role to play, non-governmental organizations and civil society are also active in the field, complementing state functions. In conclusion, all States are well aware that terrorism knows no boundaries. We must build a global cooperative network to act effectively against the threat. The State of Israel therefore calls on all nations to join in that fight and to address all elements of that struggle with equal dedication. Israel is ready to join any other nation in that effort.

The adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in 2006 was a significant achievement for the General Assembly, as Member States united to take action on one of the most pressing threats facing the international community today. Australia warmly welcomes the reaffirmation of the Strategy by the General Assembly, and we remain committed to implementing the Strategy’s plan of action in its entirety. For Australia, multilateral action through the United Nations system is a vital element of our international strategy to address terrorism and violent extremism. In that context, we welcome initiatives by the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force to ensure overall coordination and coherence in counter-terrorism efforts at the United Nations. Australia also strongly supports the efforts of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate to build global counter-terrorism capacity by engaging donors and matching their capabilities with the priority needs of recipient countries. We also note with appreciation the work that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has been undertaking in South-East Asia and the Pacific to promote the ratification and implementation of the international counter-terrorism conventions and protocols. In addition to action through the United Nations system, it is important to remember that we, as Member States, have primary responsibility for the implementation of the Strategy. Since 2001, Australia has introduced a range of important measures aimed at protecting Australians and Australian interests. Australia has fully implemented its obligations to freeze terrorist assets under Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1373 (2001) and successor and related resolutions. We have also now ratified 13 of the 16 international counter-terrorism instruments of universal application and are currently assessing the legislative changes necessary to implement the remainder. The evolving and persistent nature of the terrorist threat calls for a long-term international strategy built on sustained delivery of counter-terrorism assistance. Australia’s counter-terrorism priorities to date have been in South-East Asia, where Australians and Australian interests have been subject to direct attack, and in the Pacific, where Governments may require assistance from regional partners to meet their international counter-terrorism obligations. We are looking to expand our counter-terrorism cooperation in South Asia. Our regional approach to tackling the terrorist threat centres on a sustained programme of building mutually beneficial cooperation through counter- terrorism capacity-building. There is now an increasing convergence in the understanding of the threat and our approaches to countering it between Australia and its regional partners. We believe that the efforts of the South-East Asian region may provide useful lessons for other Member States in implementing the Strategy at a regional level. We will be looking to build on those achievements in our broad region. I would like to take a moment now to highlight one of those initiatives. Established in close partnership with Indonesia, the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation is recognized as a model for counter-terrorism and law enforcement cooperation. The Centre has developed a reputation across South-East Asia as an institution which provides very effective and practical training and which fosters development of cooperation and networks between officers of regional agencies. The Centre has now trained over 3,000 law enforcement and legal officers. Another key concern for all of us is the threat of terrorists acquiring and using chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials in an attack. To reduce the risk of such materials falling into the hands of terrorists, it is important that we have in place robust physical and legislative measures. Accordingly, Australia has assisted a number of regional countries in developing the laws and regulations required to implement United Nations conventions on the protection of nuclear materials and to improve the security of radiological, nuclear and laboratory biological materials. Terrorists thrive in an atmosphere of ignorance and distorted ideas, which make it easier to sow discord and to split communities from one another. The Strategy recognizes the importance of that ideological dimension to countering terrorism and encourages initiatives and programmes to promote dialogue, tolerance and understanding among civilizations, cultures and religions. Australia welcomes the Secretary-General’s Alliance of Civilizations initiative as a complement to the ongoing interfaith activities taking place in our own region. Domestically, we have implemented a national action plan to strengthen social cohesion, harmony and security. Australia is working with regional Governments, non-governmental organizations and community groups to rebut extremist propaganda and to reinforce shared values based on tolerance, non-violence, respect for human dignity, diversity and pluralism. Australia co-sponsors a regional interfaith dialogue alongside New Zealand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Those meetings bring together representatives from the diverse faiths in our region to promote harmonious relations between their communities. Australia is a strong supporter of that process and has offered to host the next dialogue. Respect for human rights and the rule of law is the fourth and final cornerstone of the Strategy. We cannot effectively counter the threat of terrorism by using the same methods as terrorists. Counter-terrorism measures must be accountable and subject to the rule of law. In that context, Australia recognizes that the United Nations vital role to play in advising Member States on ways to counter terrorism consistent with their obligations under international law, with particular regard for international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law. As we go forward, Australia anticipates engaging further with United Nations agencies on all those issues and contributing what we can of our experience towards a shared approach by the world community to eliminating the scourge of terrorism from the world stage.

The Cuban delegation would like to express its appreciation to the Secretary-General for his report on the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We would also like to praise the efforts of the Permanent Representative of Guatemala, Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, to facilitate the informal consultations on the draft resolution on the review of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. The Cuban delegation wishes to ratify the importance of the Strategy, which was adopted by the General Assembly, the principal and most democratic organ of the United Nations system. That document must become the main instrument to guide our global struggle against the scourge of terrorism, which has claimed so many innocent lives throughout history. The fight against terrorism is an issue of crucial interest and importance to the Cuban Government and people. As has been extensively documented, for over 45 years the Cuban people have been the victim of countless terrorist acts, conceived through the hatred and irrational desires of an international Power that has never abandoned its attempts to end the economic, political and social system that we have chosen in exercise of our right to self-determination and independence. The policy of State terrorism and sabotage waged by that Power against our people has taken a very heavy toll in human lives and economic damage. Cuba reiterates its firm commitment to combating terrorism and defending multilateralism. It affirms its strongest condemnation of all acts, methods and practices of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, by whomever, against whomsoever and wherever committed, regardless of their motivations, including those in which States are involved. Aware of the high responsibility that we all bear in the fight against terrorism and committed to the multilateral efforts to end the scourge, the Cuban delegation participated in the consultative process on the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) on the review of the Strategy. Regarding the review of the Strategy, the Cuban delegation believes that there are some issues that could be settled in the future. There should be clear functioning mechanisms for the working groups created by the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. In addition, interaction between the Task Force and the Member States should be strengthened, as should the specific mechanism to be used to that end. The Cuban delegation welcomes the institutionalization of the Task Force, as reflected in the draft resolution to be adopted by the Assembly. Cuba fully rejects the exploitation of the fight against terrorism as a pretext to justify interference in the internal affairs of other States, aggression and the breach of the national sovereignty of States. Terrorism is a phenomenon that must be countered by the entire international community, in an environment of close cooperation and with due respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law. Finally, I should like to reiterate the firm and iron willingness of the Cuban Government and people to cooperate in the multilateral efforts to put a definitive end to all acts, means and practices of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

On behalf of the Spanish delegation, I should like to express my appreciation for the organization of this meeting to consider the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its plan of action. I should also like to thank Ambassador Rosenthal for his work as facilitator of the consultations on the draft resolution, and particularly Mr. Robert Orr, Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force of the Secretariat, and his team for their work throughout this process. My delegation also associates itself fully with the statement read out by the Permanent Representative of France on behalf of the European Union. Two years ago, the General Assembly took a step forward when it adopted by consensus the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, in which Spain played an important role. It is now the responsibility of us all to promote its effective implementation at the national, regional and global levels. Spain is firmly committed to the fight against all forms of terrorism, whatever their motivation, and is convinced that multilateral action is an indispensable tool to fight the global threat of terrorism and must be legitimized by strict respect for obligations under international law. In that context, my delegation would like briefly to describe the main actions Spain has undertaken to develop the four pillars of the Strategy, some of which were already presented here last December by Ms. María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, First Vice-President of the Spanish Government, on the occasion of the informal meeting that the General Assembly held on the same theme as today’s. First of all, Spain considers of great importance the adoption of measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, as highlighted in part I of the plan of action of the Strategy. In that regard, it is important to emphasize Spain’s commitment to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and peacekeeping, as well as its role as sponsor of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, a platform that promotes dialogue among civilizations, religions and cultures against any kind of radicalization. Likewise, I must highlight Spain’s efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, which have led to a substantial increase in our official development assistance over the past four years, from some 0.2 to 0.5 per cent of our gross domestic product. A significant portion of that aid is directed towards the strengthening of institutions and to developing the rule of law, channelled through a number of technical assistance projects, mainly in Latin America, the Mediterranean region and Africa. At this point, we cannot fail to stress Spain’s commitment to the victims of terrorism, or the political and financial support it has given to initiatives adopted in that area within the United Nations, as well as in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of American States, among other forums. Spain has organized seminars and meetings in several regions in order to spread the message of solidarity with victims of terrorism, defend their dignity and delegitimize terrorism. The first international symposium on supporting victims of terrorism to be held at United Nations headquarters on 9 September holds great significance for Spain. We hope that it will lead to fruitful dialogue between Governments, victims’ associations and civil society, and to the exchange of best practices among States, and that it will also prepare the way for the adoption of practical mechanisms of solidarity by the international community, such as the future establishment of a victims assistance fund, which we have always supported. With regard to measures to prevent and combat terrorism, I am pleased to highlight the fact that Spain has ratified the 16 United Nations conventions and protocols that represent the legal basis for the measures in the fight against terrorism. Moreover, Spain is one of the main promoters of judicial cooperation in the European Union through Eurojust; it makes significant contributions to OSCE and to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and has negotiated numerous bilateral agreements on judicial assistance and extradition. Spain is also working towards the implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. Spain is a member of the Financial Action Task Force of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and an observer in other regional groups connected with the fight against the financing of terrorism. It also participates in multiple international initiatives in such areas as document security, the fight against drug trafficking, and the illicit trade in nuclear, chemical, biological, radiological and other potentially lethal materials to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorists. With regard to measures to build States’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the role of the United Nations system in that regard, Spain was the first contributor to the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and provides financial support to the technical assistance programme carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. On another front, Spain has also participated in initiatives to analyse and spread the content of the Strategy in different regions, such as the recent sixth Asia-Europe Meeting that took place in Madrid in April 2008, and finances numerous technical assistance programmes in regional and sectoral organizations and institutions, such as the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Counter-Terrorism Action Group of the G8, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, among others. Finally, in order to implement the chapter on measures to ensure respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis of the fight against terrorism, Spain has undertaken various legislative initiatives, such as the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which has already entered into force. Spain also fully supports the work carried out by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the promotion and protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism. Spain is firmly convinced that respect for human rights and the rule of law must constitute the foundation and the limits of any State action in the fight against terrorism. Spain is fully committed to active multilateralism to combat terrorism and believes that the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy represents a valuable instrument with which to counter that global threat. Spain will continue to work towards the consolidation and development of an international legal framework in that regard, which should lead us towards a future comprehensive convention on international terrorism. In relation to other territorial contexts, Spain will contribute to the development of the European Union Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its plan of action, and will foster initiatives during the next Spanish presidency of the Council of Europe, as it did during its presidency of OSCE in 2007, in order to improve the mechanisms for cooperation with regional organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia. We will endeavour to reach the same objective at the bilateral level with all countries committed to the fight against terrorism. Defeating terrorism within the framework of strict respect for international law constitutes a challenge for the international community. To achieve that goal, we will have to count on the firm commitment and cooperation of all actors, and the implementation of the Strategy could be the right path to achieving that. We cannot afford to squander this opportunity.

At the outset, I would like to thank the President of the Assembly for organizing this important meeting and to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General and the special facilitator, the representative of Guatemala, for their efforts to strengthen the vital role of our Organization in terms of counter-terrorism. I would also like to express my support for the statements made by the representatives of Kuwait on behalf of the Arab Group and of Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Despite the substantial efforts of the United Nations over the past four decades, in terms of both resolutions adopted by the Assembly and of measures taken by the Security Council against terrorism, terrorism remains a very serious threat. It continues to have devastating effects on its direct targets, on the security, stability and interests of States, and on development plans. We therefore need to ensure, today more than ever, that we strengthen our regional, international and multilateral efforts to remove the obstacles preventing us from eliminating that dangerous phenomenon. The United Arab Emirates welcomes and supports the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy as a common international strategic approach that is the ideal framework for the fight against terrorism. Despite that, we believe that the Strategy is encountering difficulties because there has been no in-depth objective analysis of the root causes and the conditions that lead to terrorism. There is also no uniform international legal definition of terrorism to distinguish between the legitimate right of people to fight aggression and occupation, and terrorism per se. We must develop international instruments that would require us objectively and effectively to review, in a balanced and transparent manner, the phenomenon of terrorism and forge an international consensus on a definition of terrorism. While we commend the outcome of the Interfaith Dialogue Conference, held in Madrid in mid-July under the auspices of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the King of Spain, I would like to underscore the primary responsibility of States to implement the Strategy by adopting political and legal measures to prevent and fight terrorism in all its forms. We call upon States to do the following. First, they must fully and non-selectively implement the provisions of the Strategy in order to determine weaknesses and shortcomings that prevent its implementation and to create strategies to tailor it to new realities. Second, they must adopt institutional measures allowing them to work with the working group of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and to ensure transparency and balance in its review process. While focusing on the need to promote and galvanize the necessary resources for the Task Force, we should also enhance the pivotal role of the United Nations in ensuring implementation of those goals of the Strategy. To that end, we welcome the efforts of the Secretary-General to institutionalize the Task Force within the Secretariat. Third, they must implement technical assistance and training programmes, in particular for developing countries, without discrimination, so that they can build their national counter-terrorism capacities. Fourthly, so as to avoid furthering xenophobia and terrorism, they must underscore once again that terrorism must not be linked to any religion, nationality, civilization or specific ethnic group, thereby undermining, jeopardizing or instigating the undermining of religions. Fifthly, they should establish an international counter-terrorism centre under the auspices of the United Nations. Sixthly, they must underscore the need to respect the rule of law and human rights within the framework of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, linked to the principles adopted under the Strategy. Seventh, the United Nations, its main bodies and the various influential and concerned parties need to assume their full responsibilities towards the resolution of political conflicts and regional and international conflicts, ensuring credibility and objectivity, so that peaceful and preventive international action can be maximized so as to prevent this phenomenon of terrorism from spreading and, to prevent creating favourable circumstances that lead to it. At this time the United Arab Emirates, convinced that terrorism is one of the greatest transnational challenges of the twenty-first century, reiterates its commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and resolutions, particularly Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1267 (1999). Those documents reflect the policy of the international community, which is developing the comprehensive measures that were adopted to fight the phenomenon in all its aspects, for example developing certain legislative texts that criminalize illegal activities and acts related to terrorism, such as the national law of 2006 against cybercrime and the law of 2004 against all kinds of terrorist-related crimes, which governs the freezing of assets of suspect persons. Moreover, the United Arab Emirates continues to develop its national bodies that are related to the fight against terrorism and its legislation criminalizing the trafficking of drugs and small arms and light weapons, the use of mercenaries, and the illegitimate use of natural resources. What is more, a number of educational and information outreach programmes have been adopted as to raise people’s awareness with respect to the phenomenon of terrorism. However, the United Arab Emirates, convinced that the fight against terrorism will not be successful if a State tackles it alone, has ensured that it has strengthened cooperation with friendly and brotherly States and with regional and international organizations, specifically INTERPOL, so as to track down criminals and exchange information on transnational crime and terrorist elements. It is also cooperating with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the relevant Security Council committees working within that framework and has acceded to a number of bilateral, regional and international conventions, initiatives and treaties. For example, it has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the 2007 treaty against terrorism of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and other conventions. In conclusion, while the United Arab Emirates commends the efforts of the Secretary-General to hold an international symposium on supporting victims of terrorism, it would like to underscore the need not to politicize the goals of that symposium or to confuse that kind of meeting with our biannual review of the Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The United Arab Emirates hopes that that debate will lead to concrete, positive outcomes and conclusions with respect to the implementation of the goals of the Strategy and to the aspirations of our peoples with regard to their security, stability and development.

The Principality of Monaco shares the sentiments expressed by the Secretary-General in his report (A/62/898). Terrorism is an attack against humankind and a heinous tactic adopted by cowards. In no case can it be justified. Two years ago, we adopted specific measures to fight terrorism by adopting the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Capacity-building should continue to be the cornerstone of global efforts to fight terrorism. Promoting the exchange of information, building networks to promote cooperation between States and pool best practices, as well as raising public awareness with regard to the threat of terrorism remain key issues. Monaco has always been very active in the fight against terrorism in all its aspects. The Principality is a party to the body of relevant universal instruments in force. Its legislative and regulatory system has been updated, and Monaco has actively participated in the exchange of information on the fight against terrorism and its financing. In 2006 the Government of the Principality adopted a law on terrorism that defines new offences of acts of terrorism and strengthens law enforcement concerning existing offences committed in circumstances leading to terrorist acts. That law introduces a relatively broad definition of the notion of complicity by criminalizing aiding and abetting a perpetrator of a terrorist act by providing housing or any other means of subsistence or assistance. In addition, the Government of Monaco recently strengthened the law of 7 July 1993 on the participation of financial organizations in the fight against money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. Moreover, the authorities of Monaco welcome the technical assistance on legal questions and issues related to capacity-building provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) within the framework of its global project to strengthen the legal regime against terrorism. In that context, in July 2008 Monaco was host to a conference on the fight against terrorism within the United Nations system. That conference more specifically reviewed the phases of establishing a universal system of law and the means to implement it at the national level, with a view to strengthening international cooperation. At that meeting, the UNODC stressed the prevention of terrorism through a global fight against separate offences, such as the financing and plotting of and incitement to a terrorist act. Prevention is fully within the framework of the recommendations of the Global Strategy, which advocates dealing with the threat universally. I would be remiss if I concluded my statement without thanking the Counter-Terrorism Task Force for the work it has undertaken and without commending the efforts of Ambassador Rosenthal and his colleagues with respect to the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) that we shall adopt as the outcome of our debate. However, we regret that that document does not take into account the position of the victims of terrorism worldwide.

The French presidency has clearly outlined the position of the European Union. Denmark would like to align itself fully with the statement and to reinforce some general points based on its own experience. What the General Assembly agreed upon in 2006 was, in our view, a landmark decision. For the first time ever, it united all Member States behind a common and comprehensive strategic framework for fighting terrorism. The Strategy is an instrument of consensus on an issue on which consensus has been notably difficult to reach. It was a truly remarkable achievement — a process that is worth not only reviewing, but actually celebrating, two years later. As is so often the case, the real challenge lies in turning wise words into efficient action — action that makes a difference on the ground and helps to eradicate terrorism. In that sense, the focus in this review is, quite rightly, on implementation. There is now a universal recognition that we need to look at a broad range of issues and causes to counter terrorism. They include socio-economic marginalization, deficiencies when it comes to good governance and the rule of law, and violations of human rights and restrictions on fundamental freedoms. Dealing with all those elements, the Strategy offers countries the broad- based, long-term framework that is needed not only to thwart and respond to terrorist attacks, but also to address socio-economic conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and to the violent radicalization of local populations. Addressing those conditions must be an inherent and vital component of a successful strategy to defeat terrorism. As rightly noted in the report of the Secretary- General (A/62/898), the Strategy is valuable in highlighting the link between the traditional development agenda and the fight against terrorism. If international cooperation to assist developing countries in building up their resilience against terrorism is to be effective, we need to overcome a recurrent hesitation to combine the development and security agendas. Including counter-terrorism capacity-building as an aspect of development programmes is a delicate but nevertheless important task. Our national experience as an important donor country shows that it is possible. The interface is quite obvious in the area of good governance, where the development and security agendas converge. Not only will a lack of good governance impede development; it is also one of the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. Key organizations in this area, such as the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, must therefore continue their efforts to facilitate dialogue on the development-security nexus at both the national and international levels. In preparation for this review, Denmark commissioned a study exploring those interlinkages, entitled “Study to Identify Good Practices of Development Assistance in Support of Counter- Terrorism Capacity-Building in Developing Countries”. Copies of the study are available outside the Hall. The findings, which were presented at a seminar held in New York in July, contain recommendations for countries, donors and the United Nations system that, we hope, can inform the work ahead of all of us in implementing the Strategy. The study includes some important findings for future implementation; let me briefly mention a couple of them. First, countries’ ownership of the process is essential if we are to successfully counter terrorism. Unless international resolutions calling for the combating of terrorism are perceived by countries themselves as relevant and important and are translated into national policies and plans, there is little chance that international cooperation will be effective, that it will have impact and that it will be sustainable. Efforts should therefore be undertaken to promote national development plans or poverty reduction strategies that recognize the links between development and security. The second point regards the need to improve policy coherence at the national level to enhance the effectiveness of our efforts and avoid unnecessary duplication at all levels. In preparing for this review, we have, together with the Centre on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, also undertaken an analysis of the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa. It reflects Denmark’s long-standing commitment in that region. The study of the East Africa experiences concludes that significant capacity gaps and vulnerabilities continue to exist. Therefore, nearly every part of the United Nations system represented in the Task Force has an important role to play in such developing regions, where implementation gaps exist. A stronger, more visible United Nations presence is needed, together with more efficient coordination of all actors involved. The division of labour and cooperation with relevant regional organizations must be sorted out. Civil society must be involved more effectively and consistently if counter-terrorism efforts are to be successful. Against that background, I would like to echo a key recommendation of the report on East Africa: we must agree on clear guidelines as to what specific tasks regional and subregional bodies and civil society can perform in furthering Strategy implementation, with a clear division of labour among stakeholders and with priorities and timelines for action. While the goal of countering terrorism is globally shared, questions have been raised about the means used. In global public opinion, there is a perception and a concern that, in some cases, efforts to strengthen law enforcement and other security-related counter- terrorism capacities have led to human rights violations and to the oppression of civil society. The rulings issued by the European Court of Justice this very week reminded us once again of the need to ensure that the instruments we use to fight terrorism, such as targeted sanctions, are in full compliance with human rights standards and reflect due-process guarantees. If they are not, we will undermine the legitimacy of our fight and thus its efficiency. Fighting terrorism and protecting human rights are by no means conflicting goals. The notion of a trade-off is false; rather, the two goals should be seen as complementary and mutually reinforcing. The report of the Secretary-General for this meeting makes it clear that much has happened in terms of the Strategy’s implementation since its adoption. The principal responsibility for implementing the Strategy unquestionably lies with Member States. The United Nations system must, however, continue to play its part. Twenty-four entities — most of them United Nations bodies — are included in the Task Force and its working groups. In all honesty, while noting the important work done, we also need to recognize that, so far, efforts have focused to a large extent on understanding and mapping the challenges. To a lesser degree, that has yet to be translated into concrete action on the ground. We therefore, like others, welcome the institutionalization of the Task Force, as provided for in the draft resolution to be adopted on this occasion (A/62/L.48). It is crucial that our resources match the tasks before us. The current arrangements are not sustainable. While progress has been achieved in our common fight against terrorism and in implementing the Strategy, important challenges remain in many areas, including fully safeguarding human rights when fighting terrorism and promoting efficient international counter-terrorism cooperation. If we are serious in our commitment to fight terrorism, we must make progress before the next review, two years from now.

First of all, I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this plenary meeting to examine the progress made since the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its Plan of Action were adopted by the Assembly two years ago. I also express my appreciation to the facilitator, Ambassador Rosenthal, for leading the process of negotiations on the outcome of this meeting. We welcome the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) as agreed upon by all delegations and believe that it represents a solid basis for the future implementation of the Strategy. My country, Croatia, has aligned itself with the statement delivered earlier today by the French presidency of the European Union and fully supports the main messages contained therein. However, I should like to provide members with a brief account of Croatia’s implementation of the Strategy at the national, regional and international levels. First, I would like to reaffirm the importance that we attach to the Strategy as one of the major documents in the global fight against terrorism. It is important that all countries and other relevant stakeholders stand in unity and show a firm commitment to the full and integrated implementation of the Strategy, while taking account of the delicate balance among its four pillars. The Strategy describes broad and diverse measures under the first pillar. In that regard, Croatia is involved in a number of regional activities with the aim of preventing or suppressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. Croatia has been active in promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue in close cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other regional organizations. In particular, Croatia has contributed to intensifying regional dialogue in South-East Europe at the highest level, thus creating an atmosphere of good- neighbourly relations. Moreover, in May this year, Croatia became a member of the group of friends of the Alliance of Civilizations. Croatia is also active within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe. Croatia hosted the 2nd OSCE Tolerance Implementation Meeting on education to promote mutual respect and understanding and to teach about the Holocaust, held in October 2006 in Dubrovnik. Croatia also participates in the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights hate-crime training programme for law enforcement officers. Croatia has ratified several Council of Europe conventions on the prevention and financing of terrorism and the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, concerning the criminalization of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems. Terrorism is a complex and serious threat to international peace and security, as it attempts to undermine the core values of the modern world. Terrorism poses a challenge to our security, to the basic principles of democratic societies and to the rights and freedoms of our citizens. Terrorist acts are criminal in nature and cannot be justified under any circumstances. We highly appreciate all efforts in the global struggle against terrorism. Therefore, under the second pillar of the Strategy, Croatia has undertaken a wide array of measures in order to prevent and combat terrorism, in particular by denying terrorists access to the means to carry out their attacks. Croatia is party to all 16 international legal counter-terrorism instruments. In addition, a number of regional and bilateral agreements have been signed or ratified establishing cooperation between law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Croatia has fully harmonized its legislation with the European Union’s Council Framework Decision on combating terrorism of June 2002. Croatia has also intensified its cooperation with INTERPOL and the European Union in the field of enhancing border security and control of lost and stolen travel documents. In June 2007, Croatia became the first INTERPOL member country to provide police units with direct secure access to INTERPOL’s databases via mobile phones and laptops. As a contribution to the NATO Partnership Work Programme, and in close cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, Croatia’s National Protection and Rescue Directorate organized a consequence management field exercise, IDASSA 2007. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was also actively involved. One of three scenarios included a response to a terrorist threat using biological agents on board a passenger plane. Under the third pillar of the Strategy, Croatia supports the activities of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force responsible for ensuring a comprehensive and coordinated approach in implementing the Strategy, as comprehensively elaborated in a report by the Secretary-General. My country also welcomes the initiative for its further institutionalization. The ever-evolving terrorist threat demands that Governments achieve the highest levels of efficiency, which is possible only through proper education and training. Croatian authorities have enjoyed constructive cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, its Terrorism Prevention Branch and the OSCE by actively participating in their various counter-terrorism conferences, workshops and seminars. Similar events have also been organized at the national level for the purpose of educating law enforcement officials, State attorneys, judges and customs officers. We further agree that capacity-building is a core element of the global counter-terrorism effort. Therefore, we have to assist those countries that are committed to implementing the Strategy and other counter-terrorism obligations but do not have the necessary resources. As a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Croatia has assumed the important responsibility of chairing the Counter-Terrorism Committee. In that respect, we have invested much effort, in close coordination with other members and with valuable assistance from the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, to ensure more efficient and transparent work of the Committee, with enhanced focus on its role as a facilitator of technical assistance. Regarding the fourth pillar, Croatia has ratified a large number of international treaties and set up the necessary domestic measures to ensure full respect for human rights and a national criminal justice system based on the rule of law. The protection of the highest human rights standards stems from the Croatian Constitution, and any measures taken to combat terrorism comply fully with our obligations under international law. Finally, I hope that today’s meeting will show renewed commitment on the part of all participants to the Strategy and thereby reiterate the consensus of the international community in fighting the scourge of terrorism, which has been rightly described in the report of the Secretary-General as a heinous tactic adopted by cowards and an attack against humankind.

Allow me to begin my statement by thanking the President for convening this timely meeting and the Permanent Representative of Guatemala, Mr. Rosenthal, the facilitator of the negotiations on the draft resolution. I would also like to express my gratitude for the preparatory work undertaken by the Secretariat, in particular Mr. Robert Orr’s tireless work on this very important subject. The adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy sent a clear message that a coherent and systematic means must be found to counter the scourge of terrorism. It was a resounding message regarding the need to move beyond immediate and pressing responses, which have been primarily led by the Security Council, and to develop an operational framework that will make it possible for the international community and the United Nations system as a whole to address the conditions that generate terrorism, promote international cooperation to address it, and help its victims. All of that must be accomplished in stringent respect for the rule of law and human rights. Costa Rica will report today on its activities in implementing the Strategy and share its vision regarding the challenges that we must confront in combating terrorism. The main challenges that must be overcome by those of us who have not been direct victims of terrorism are inertia, indifference and the temptation to believe that terrorist acts will target only developed countries or those who have supposedly provoked such attacks. It would be a mistake to believe that terrorism is rational when it certainly is not. If it were, how could we explain the brutal attacks against United Nations staff in a number of different countries? Such a careless approach and such erroneous premises ensure that the efforts of many States to confront and combat terrorism are often not given due priority. Furthermore, in environments of limited resources and growing needs, it is becoming difficult to reach political agreements to channel the resources necessary to counter terrorism. Nonetheless, in recent years, my country has participated in regional and international initiatives to facilitate effective responses in the fight against terrorism and has established inter-institutional mechanisms for the domestic fulfilment of our obligations to the global community. At the international level, together with Slovakia, Japan, Turkey and Switzerland, we are developing the International Process on Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation. That initiative has facilitated a dialogue in which, without detriment to national or institutional positions, options have been discussed to facilitate and improve the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The recommendations produced by the Process with the support of the Centre on Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation are undoubtedly an important contribution to the discussions and decisions to be taken as a result of the review of the Strategy. Two years ago, all States Members of the Organization affirmed that the promotion and protection of human rights for all and the rule of law are essential to all components of the Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. Accordingly, we asserted that the adoption of effective counter-terrorism measures and the protection of human rights should not be conflicting goals, but complementary and mutually reinforcing. Today, regrettably, independent sources tell us of a huge gap between the guarantees set out in the Strategy and the actions of States and the United Nations system itself in combating terrorism. In the name of security, actions and laws are being justified by those who previously would have criticized them. Euphemisms and legal sleight-of-hand to justify torture are becoming commonplace, together with arbitrary measures and extrajudicial detentions. Costa Rica reaffirms that good intentions must be matched with deeds. We must not give in to the temptation to set effectiveness in combating terrorism at odds with the guaranteed respect for and promotion of human rights. The dilemma is not whether we can be effective in combating terrorism while respecting human rights. Indeed, no such dilemma exists; we do not have to choose one or the other. The challenge is how to link the two processes in such a way as to ensure that anti-terrorist measures are effective and, at the same time, that they comply with human rights and fundamental freedoms. That should form the basis of our collective fight against terrorism, as we agreed in adopting the Strategy. We must overcome the mindset of fear, abandon the notion of an endless war without rules and instead promote a broad-based approach that enables us to respond effectively to so grave a threat to the peace, security and development of all our peoples. The United Nations cannot afford to see its legitimacy eroded in the fight against terrorism. It is particularly worrisome that a number of United Nations activities to combat terrorism are being questioned in legal terms as violating fundamental freedoms. The Security Council and its permanent members in particular must shoulder their responsibility and undertake a broader and more serious review of the mechanisms for imposing and lifting sanctions in order to ensure that they conform to the minimum requirements of due process. In our capacity as an elected Council member, we acknowledge that some steps have been taken in the right direction but that much remains to be done. Costa Rica appeals to everyone to translate the guarantees set out in the Strategy into reality. The lack of agreement on a definition for terrorism is, and could continue to be, a result of the restrictions on fundamental rights and guarantees in the guise of anti-terrorist actions. After more than eight years of discussions, the world is calling for a clear agreement defining what terrorism is and, by extension, what it is not. Here, the General Assembly must shoulder its responsibility. The time that is passing without such a definition is undermining the foundations of the rule of law at the national and international levels. Costa Rica reaffirms its readiness to continue to cooperate in the building of an early consensus in that regard and reaffirms that, with creativity and good faith, we must overcome the obstacles that have thus far prevented us from reaching such a necessary agreement.

New Zealand is unequivocal in its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms. We are determined in our efforts to prevent and combat terrorism, including through our strong support for the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We were particularly pleased that the Strategy received unanimous support when it was agreed upon two years ago. There is much commonality between the principles espoused under the four pillars of the Strategy and those that guide New Zealand’s approach. Domestically, we are determined to take all the necessary measures to prevent and combat terrorism and to ensure that our country is neither a target nor a source of terrorist activity. We continue to improve our legislative, policy and operational capabilities. We amended our Terrorism Suppression Act last year to improve our compliance with the evolving international counter-terrorism framework. Internationally, New Zealand is actively assisting partner countries in developing their counter-terrorism capabilities. New Zealand has helped to build capacity in Pacific island countries to meet the requirements of the international counter-terrorism agenda. We convene and chair the annual Working Group on Counter- Terrorism, involving officials from the 16 countries members of the Pacific Islands Forum. We are encouraged by the progress made in the Pacific, and we welcome the support of a number of United Nations counter-terrorism bodies in helping to achieve it. In South-East Asia, the threat of terrorist attacks persists despite the progress made by law enforcement authorities, and New Zealand continues to support a number of counter-terrorism capacity-building initiatives in the region. Recognizing that the threat of international terrorism requires a comprehensive, multilayered and long-term response, New Zealand has increasingly pursued initiatives aimed at addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. We believe the United Nations-led Alliance of Civilizations has real potential to improve relations and understanding between societies and cultures. Last year, New Zealand hosted an Asia-Pacific regional symposium to discuss how our region might take forward the Alliance’s recommendations in the areas of youth, education, media and migration. We have embarked on a series of significant and long-term projects in our region. This year, New Zealand produced a national plan of action, which we have found a very useful undertaking, and we would encourage others to consider developing plans to guide their own activities. New Zealand is also promoting interfaith dialogue through co-sponsorship of the Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue, by supporting developing country attendance at regional meetings and by hosting the third Dialogue in New Zealand in 2007. By managing the increased diversity of our societies better, we put ourselves in a much stronger position to counter negative stereotyping and radicalization, which can lead to violent extremism. Further afield, New Zealand is making a significant contribution to stabilization and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), including leading a provincial reconstruction team and providing training for the Afghan National Army and Police. New Zealand supports ISAF’s comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which advocates a balance between security, governance and development interventions. New Zealand also continues to support Operation Enduring Freedom through the deployment of our naval vessels to the maritime interdiction operation in the Persian Gulf region. Terrorism is a global phenomenon and as such requires a coordinated global response. The United Nations, through the work of the Assembly, the Security Council, its committees and other bodies, is best placed to coordinate that response. New Zealand has supported that work through contributions to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for counter- terrorism legislative assistance and criminal justice training in the Pacific and South-East Asia. We welcome the efforts of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force to achieve greater coordination across the United Nations system and to promote best practice approaches to Member States. New Zealand remains steadfast in its commitment to all measures to combat and prevent terrorism and to ensure that such measures are consistent with human rights and the rule of law. We look forward to working closely with partners in our region and beyond to further implement the Global Strategy, thereby helping to ensure that all our citizens are free from the threat of violent extremism.

Allow me to start by saying that the Netherlands stands behind the European Union interventions. In addition to that, I would like to make a number of observations, from a national perspective, on the implementation of our counter- terrorism policy. Before that, I would like to thank Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr and his Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force for their excellent work on the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. We also commend the work of Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, who serves as the facilitator for the draft resolution on this subject. At the presentation of the “Uniting Against Terrorism” report (A/60/825), which led to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the former Secretary-General aptly described the relationship between terrorism and human rights. He said: “Defending human rights … is a prerequisite to every aspect of any effective counter-terrorism strategy. It is the bond that brings the different components together. That means the human rights of all — of the victims of terrorism, of those suspected of terrorism, and of those affected by the consequences of terrorism.” (A/60/PV.78, p.3) Dutch counter-terrorism efforts have always been characterized by a multifaceted approach. It is imperative to strike the right balance between repressive and preventive measures. A counter- terrorism policy that relies solely on repressive action will not halt the radicalization processes that make people more susceptible to recruitment by terrorist organizations. Having worked with partner countries over the past five to eight years, we have learned that intervening early in the radicalization process is a key component of successful counter-terrorism. Dutch initiatives on this issue involve promoting dialogue between international experts and policymakers. In October 2007, politicians, experts and scholars from around the globe, including Mr. Orr, gathered in The Hague to discuss strategies to counter radicalization. The conference centred on the exchange of best practices and the urgent need for a platform for continued consultations on that issue. In April 2007, 25 experts on international humanitarian law, human rights and criminal law met, also in the Netherlands, to discuss human rights and counter-terrorism. In both cases, the experts came from Europe, the United States, the Arab world and Asia. Different legal systems were represented at that meeting. The aim was to take stock of current statutory restrictions on fighting terrorism and to explore new ideas for legal solutions to those restrictions. The experts concluded that the legal systems represented there could play a relevant role in the debate on the place of international law in the fight against terrorism. The Netherlands is strongly committed to building on the conclusions of both meetings, to exploring the options for strengthening the international legal framework to allow for new legal solutions and to institutionalizing the exchange of best practices related to countering radicalization. We would welcome all efforts to bring agreement on a definition of terrorism closer. The Netherlands stands ready to consider ways to break the deadlock in the negotiations on the United Nations comprehensive convention on terrorism. Now is the time to make some serious headway and demonstrate the resolve of the international community. The Netherlands would like to see the masterminds of international terrorism brought before a court of law. If domestic jurisdiction is not adequate, we may need to make use of the potential of the International Criminal Court. The Rome Statute would allow for such an interpretation in situations where the offences in question fall within the Court’s jurisdiction — for example in the case of crimes against humanity. The Netherlands has taken a great interest in the adoption of Security Council resolution 1822 (2008), renewing and updating the sanctions regime against the Taliban and Al-Qaida. Although several commendable changes were made to the system, we believe that improvements are still necessary. Yesterday’s judgement of the European Court of Justice in the Kadi case, in which the Court ruled that Mr. Kadi’s fundamental rights were not respected when he was included in the United Nations list, shows that it is essential to improve the due process safeguards of the United Nations system of targeted sanctions, if only to avert possible difficulties in implementing the sanction measures within European Union member States in the future. The establishment of a review panel, for example, could be a step in the right direction towards creating a more effective judicial review within the sanctions system. At the beginning of this year, we were confronted with one of the issues regarding due process safeguards — the issue of delisting — when a court of appeal in the Netherlands acquitted six suspected terrorists of committing a criminal offence with terrorist intent. As a result, at the initiative of the Netherlands, the European Council removed the individuals concerned from the list. The Netherlands also attaches great importance to improving border security. A great deal has been done within the EU to improve the quality of border controls in order to curtail the movements of potential terrorists. New technology, such as biometric travel documents and automated visa information systems, as well as the second generation of the Schengen Information System, will give us new tools to crack down on the cross-border movements of potential terrorists. At the same time, the Netherlands is determined to maintain an appropriate level of data protection and privacy for all its citizens. The Netherlands warmly welcomed the adoption of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in 2006, and since that time it has supported the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and individual Member States and regional organizations in implementing the Strategy. We have contributed to measures to build the capacity of States to prevent and combat terrorism and to ensure that the rule of law and the universality of human rights are respected. The Netherlands has also supported the activities of the Task Force to tackle radicalization. We are committed to continuing our efforts in the years ahead, together with all other Member States and relevant United Nations organizations. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once said, “success should be measured by the way challenges are addressed”. Let us now, together, address the challenge lying ahead of us to look beyond repressive measures and find a successful approach to counter terrorism that respects both human rights and the rule of law.

An integrated and long- term approach to the fight against terrorism must consist of both preventive and combative measures. If we fail to take a long-term perspective in our fight against terrorist groups today, we may face new, stronger terrorist groups with greater popular support tomorrow. We risk undermining our own goals. Moreover, respect for democracy, human rights and international law must be a mainstay in all our efforts to combat terrorism. The United Nations has a particular responsibility for coordinating global efforts against terrorism. It is important to strengthen the Organization’s role in order to ensure that international efforts are endorsed and followed up by the whole world community. Strengthening the role of the United Nations will also help to ensure that those efforts are as closely coordinated and integrated as possible in both the short and long terms. The adoption of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy two years ago was a milestone in our common endeavour to prevent terrorism. It is the responsibility of the Member States to implement the Strategy, and the role of the United Nations is to assist Member States with implementation, if needed. The decision to establish the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force to coordinate the various efforts of the United Nations agencies in that respect was a wise one. We have supported the Task Force and will continue to do so. The Task Force has a unique opportunity to further a balanced approach to the implementation of the Strategy, with equal attention to all its four pillars. In our view, it is important that the Task Force be given the necessary resources. It is also important that Member States interact with the Task Force on a regular basis. We believe that this could best be done in informal meetings where briefings and reports on its current and future work are exchanged and the work on Strategy implementation is assessed. I would like to add that the regional organizations have an important role to play in complementing and supporting the efforts of the Member States to prevent terrorism and take part in the global initiatives of the United Nations. I would like to highlight the work being done by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe in that respect. Nevertheless, we must not lose sight of the fact that the Member States have the primary responsibility to implement all four pillars of the Global Strategy. In the Strategy, we have committed ourselves to ensuring that all measures taken to counter terrorism comply with our human rights obligations and the rule of law. In it, we recognize that effective counter- terrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting, but complementary and mutually reinforcing goals. Norway still strongly believes that that is the case. It is Norway’s firm view that an effective and holistic response to terrorism should have a firm basis in criminal justice and be guided by the normative framework provided by the universal legal regime against terrorism and respect for the rule of law and human rights. That being said, it is of grave concern to us that the various United Nations bodies and offices still report serious human rights violations in the fight against terrorism. One effort that has been successful in a number of Member States is the demobilization and deradicalization of terrorists. We have advocated that the United Nations should contribute to those efforts and have initiated activities in the analysis of that subject. Thus, we organized a meeting in New York on 22 April concerning a project called “Leaving Terrorism Behind”. I am therefore very pleased to read, in the Secretary-General’s report of 7 July (A/62/898) on the implementation of the Strategy, that the working group on addressing radicalization and extremism will provide a summary of options in that field that States could consider integrating into their national and regional deradicalization strategies.

The delegation of Madagascar supports the statement made by the representative of Guinea on behalf of the Group of African States and would like to express its recognition to the Secretary- General for his excellent report, which reflects the efforts made by Member States as the primary players in the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy: the United Nations system, in its capacity as a body with global competence, through its various bodies; and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force in a supporting role. Madagascar welcomes the progress that has been made by the various bodies of the United Nations system since the adoption of the Strategy, as described in parts II and III of the report of the Secretary-General (A/62/898) on measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and measures to prevent and combat terrorism. My country welcomes the initiative of the Secretary-General in establishing the Task Force within the United Nations system to guarantee the coordination and consistency of all actions conducted against terrorism. Two years have passed since the international community decided to step up and continue its work in the fight against terrorism. The unanimous adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy on 8 September 2006 marked a historic step forward by the international community in its unfailing determination to counter terrorism, a scourge that constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and hampers the economic and social development of States. The Strategy, a unique instrument based on Member States’ robust and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, contains a plan of action for its comprehensive implementation and is an important basis for future activities to counter that global phenomenon. In that regard, Madagascar welcomes the holding of the Vienna Symposium in May 2007 as an exceptional opportunity for Member States not only to promote the comprehensive implementation of the Strategy, exchange information and reaffirm their commitment to combating terrorism, but also to learn of the firm resolve of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force to provide technical assistance to States in need with the support of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED). In that context, the delegation of Madagascar wishes to express its gratitude for the efforts made and the dedication shown by the relevant bodies of the United Nations system, including the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Maritime Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency, without forgetting to thank the members of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the CTED for their dynamism and their tireless efforts to eliminate the scourge. Madagascar remains convinced that effective implementation of the Strategy depends on subregional, regional and international cooperation and on the provision of adequate technical and financial assistance. In that regard, my delegation wishes to express its deep gratitude to UNODC for its assistance, which has enabled Madagascar to hold workshops and to participate in regional seminars and conferences on counter-terrorism. My country welcomes the holding, in Antananarivo in January 2008, of a national workshop on the formulation of a draft text on extradition and legal cooperation, which is currently being finalized, and the holding of a national seminar for judges and prosecutors on international cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism, organized jointly by the expert group established under resolution 1267 (1999), INTERPOL and the International Organization of la Francophonie. At the regional level, Madagascar participated actively in the fourth and fifth Conferences of Ministers of Justice of the French-speaking Countries of Africa on the Implementation of the Universal Anti-Terrorism Conventions, held, respectively, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in March 2007 and in Rabat, Morocco, in May 2008. Madagascar would be pleased to host the sixth Conference in 2009. The Ouagadougou declaration requests all of Africa’s French-speaking countries to promptly implement the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy in all its aspects at the international, regional, subregional and national levels, in particular by mobilizing resources and competencies. In that connection, Madagascar calls on the international community, in particular the United Nations and other partners, to provide the necessary technical and financial assistance to vulnerable African countries and regional research centres in order to strengthen their counter-terrorism capacities in accordance with obligations under international law. The Rabat declaration refers to the formulation of a draft international convention for Africa’s French- speaking countries on extradition and judicial cooperation in the context of the fight against terrorism. Such a convention would be a regional instrument providing an appropriate legal framework for strengthening international counter-terrorism cooperation in the area of criminal justice, and including specific counter-terrorism measures. In accordance with the Strategy, Madagascar has urged that the fight against terrorism be carried out in full respect for human rights. Since the adoption of the declaration, notable progress has been made in formulating such a draft regional convention. The final declaration of the subregional workshop held in Gaborone, Botswana, in November 2007 for States members of the Southern African Development Community, in which Madagascar took part, refers to the need to fully incorporate into national legislation the provisions of universal counter-terrorism instruments and of the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. In that context, Madagascar has already submitted its reports pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) and resolution 1540 (2004) and is currently finalizing its report pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001). A national committee has been established for each of those resolutions. It was in the spirit of resolution 1373 (2001) that the Central Intelligence Service was established. The Service is directly linked to the presidency of the Republic and to the central anti-terrorist service, which works in close collaboration with the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism. In July 2008, the President of the Republic of Madagascar launched the Superior Council of National Defence and a financial information service, a body mandated to combat money-laundering and terrorist financing. Peace is among the priority objectives to which the world aspires. The international community is particularly concerned by the persistent scourge of terrorist acts, including cybercrime. The holding of today’s meeting is thus particularly timely, for it is urgent that we act. International cooperation is more necessary than ever before. Given its insularity and the length of its maritime borders, Madagascar is vulnerable to such activities as the pillaging of its resources, the trafficking of weapons and drugs and acts of piracy at sea. It was in that context that, in July 2008 in Vienna, my country participated in a legal workshop for small island developing States on the legal aspects of countering maritime terrorism in the light of relevant universal instruments. In the area of subregional cooperation, a training workshop on international cooperation against terrorism was held in Port Louis, Mauritius, for the States members of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). The workshop’s main objective was to strengthen the cooperation among IOC member States in the area of criminal justice in order to prevent and combat terrorism. The delegation of Madagascar firmly supports the idea of institutionalizing the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force within the Secretariat, in accordance with the Strategy. To that end, it is important to provide the Task Force with the financial and material resources it needs to fully carry out its mandate. Finally, we should like to pay a heartfelt tribute to Ambassador Rosenthal for his efforts as facilitator of draft resolution A/62/L.48, which is now before us.

At the outset, my delegation would like to reiterate to the General Assembly the Government of Mexico’s most resolute condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and our full commitment to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was agreed upon by Member States to counter that dreadful scourge within the framework of the Organization. During the two years since the Strategy was adopted, we have noted some progress in its effective implementation. Undoubtedly, thanks to the Strategy, the United Nations is better prepared today to respond to terrorism in a consistent and integrated manner, with the General Assembly playing the major role in that regard. On the basis of the four pillars of the Strategy, Member States have the primary responsibility for its implementation. However, that calls for the development of our own capacities. For that reason, my delegation has consistently identified the need to bolster international cooperation as a cornerstone of success in the fight against terrorism. The United Nations system, for its part, is responsible for coordinating its efforts internally so as to be able to identify, fine-tune and place at the disposal of Member States that request them those tools that they require to implement the Strategy, thereby promoting international cooperation and strengthening institutional capacities. That is why we welcome two measures today. The first is the institutionalization of the Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force within the system. The second is the commitment to establish closer interaction on a regular basis between the Task Force and the General Assembly so as to strengthen communication in addressing the specific topics and needs involved in the sensitive area of counter- terrorism. In that regard, Mexico hopes that the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate in particular will play a more prominent role in that task. There is no doubt that major achievements and progress have been made in combating terrorism. However, Mexico is concerned that the resurgence or outbreaks of manifestations of armed violence could feed terrorism through the funding, recruitment and training of terrorists, as well as the exacerbation of fragile security situations that prevent a return to lasting peace and security in different parts of the world. In such cases, the work of regional and subregional organizations provide added value. Therefore, it is necessary to step up efforts to use that work to gain a closer understanding of the specific regional contexts in which such phenomena take place. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of regional and subregional organizations to make themselves essential to the implementation of the Strategy. One example of that is the cooperation between Mexico and the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) of the Organization of American States. In its current capacity as Vice-Chair of the CICTE, and as it prepares to assume the presidency in March 2009, Mexico supports plans to strengthen cooperation among member States, giving pride of place to the needs and capacities of the region, in particular by enhancing security and border controls. The Government of Mexico is working domestically at all levels to prevent and counter terrorism by strengthening the institutional capacities of the main actors involved and by giving priority to a culture of prevention that is consistent with the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. On the basis of those beliefs, we again appeal to States Members promptly to conclude the comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Furthermore, as a committed participant in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms while combating terrorism, Mexico reiterates that this highly ethical approach — the fourth pillar of the Strategy — is essential to ensuring the successful implementation of the Strategy. It should therefore enjoy priority in the actions of the United Nations and Member States. In that regard, we should like to refer specifically to the system established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1267 (1999) and subsequent resolutions related to the listing and delisting of terrorist individuals, organizations and entities. In that respect, Mexico emphasizes the need to develop more precise systems that not only will make it possible for State authorities to comply with the mandates of those resolutions in full respect for the legal rights of citizens in their respective jurisdictions, but that also recognize the duty of States to take the rights of citizens into account when considering their listing and delisting. The fight against terrorism calls for the efforts of the international community to be organized, consistent and, above all, steadfast. We hope that this renewed commitment of the Assembly to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy will lead to significant progress in eradicating that hateful phenomenon. Mexico reiterates once again its commitment to the fight against terrorism and to the work of the Assembly in that regard. Lastly, my delegation wishes to acknowledge and thank our friend Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala for his very successful work as facilitator in the drafting of resolution A/62/L.48, which we hope will be adopted during the course of the review.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 48/5 of 13 October 1993, I now call upon the observer for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Terrorism is a global, regional and local phenomenon. Hence, counter-terrorism work requires an approach that incorporates all those factors. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy sets important guidelines in the campaign against global terrorism, but it also recognizes that the Strategy requires implementation — global, regional and national. Those are the three pillars of Strategy implementation and, in that regard, regional organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe and the Organization of American States have been very active and have a central role to play. As a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, the OSCE recognizes that the United Nations plays the leading role in all counter- terrorism matters in a global perspective. As those present might know, the OSCE is the largest regional organization, with 56 participating States from North America to Central Asia, and also 11 partner countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The organization follows a comprehensive approach to security that incorporates the politico-military, economic, environmental and human dimensions of combating terrorism. Over the years, the OSCE has actively contributed to the global effort to fight terrorism by developing wide-ranging commitments to adhere to and implement the international counter- terrorism regime and by helping national authorities develop their counter-terrorism capabilities. OSCE action is guided by the conviction that we, as a regional organization, have an essential role to play in the implementation of the Strategy. We see the OSCE as an important transmission belt between the United Nations, on the global level, and our participating States. Our organization has 56 regional field offices. Hence, we are ideally situated to develop approaches that take into account region-specific issues, to facilitate the sharing of good national practices and lessons learned from national implementation, and to develop frameworks of regional experts and institutions. At this point, I would like to conclude by reiterating that the OSCE, with its comprehensive approach to security, has been active in the implementation of all four pillars of the Strategy, and through its dedicated work, the organization has become a recognized and valued partner to many bodies and organizations from within the United Nations family and beyond.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 44/6 of 17 October 1989, I now call on the observer for the Council of Europe.

It is indeed an honour to be here to give the Assembly an overview of the Council of Europe’s approach to combating terrorism and, more specifically, our contribution to the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. The importance of a single, coherent and universally accepted framework for international action against terrorism cannot be overestimated. Allow me to emphasize its enormous significance and confirm the commitment of the Council of Europe, the pan-European regional organization, to conduct its action against terrorism along the lines set out in the Strategy. As a regional organization, the Council of Europe is committed to facilitating the implementation not only of Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), but overall, of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We do so by providing a forum for discussion, adopting regional standards and best practices, and providing assistance to our member States, thus improving their counter-terrorism capabilities. The Council of Europe takes a three- pronged approach to the fight against terrorism, strengthening legal action, safeguarding fundamental values and addressing the causes of terrorism. Against that background, we have developed a number of activities related to the implementation of the Strategy. Indeed, in 2007, our organization even adopted a road map on the contribution of the Council of Europe as a regional organization to the implementation of the Strategy. Those documents identified the organization’s capabilities in the light of the Strategy. With a view to streamlining and coordinating the Council of Europe efforts, the road map assigned a series of initiatives to various bodies within the organization, relying on the four chapters of the Strategy. The Committee of Experts on Terrorism was given the task of monitoring the implementation of the road map by the 11 entities and bodies of the organization. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe insists on being informed on a monthly basis of the progress achieved in the implementation of that road map. Regarding the measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, the Council of Europe, through its standard-setting and technical cooperation activities, is actively involved in education, youth and the media and contributes to ensuring the protection of minorities and to fighting intolerance, racism and social exclusion in an attempt to weaken the sources of discontent that may fuel terrorism. Those initiatives reflect our conviction that dialogue between individuals, religions and cultures, based on mutual understanding, respect for human rights and tolerance, is key to enhancing social cohesion and, as a result, tackling terrorism. We believe that those two initiatives will have a great impact on the way the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism are addressed in Europe. Regarding measures to prevent and combat terrorism, one of the priorities of the Council of Europe is to strengthen legal action. To that end, our organization works towards creating a judicial framework that allows substantial international cooperation among judicial authorities; monitoring signatures and ratifications of relevant instruments and encouraging member States to reconsider existing reservations; increasing the efficiency of the relevant international and European instruments; reinforcing the various forms of mutual cooperation in the criminal field; stepping up the fight against money-laundering and cybercrime; and securing compensation for victims. In line with the international trend, after 2001 the Council of Europe started to look at how States could take a proactive approach to the fight against terrorism with a view to preventing terrorist acts. One of the most prominent steps in that direction was the adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism in 2005, which constitutes the first international legally binding instrument on that subject. It provides for a process to ensure its effective implementation and follow-up. Members may already know that the Convention has already entered into force and is open for accession by non-member States. I take this opportunity to invite States interested in acceding to that Convention to contact me or my colleagues. The Council of Europe has undertaken other activities that have added value to the implementation of the Strategy in the European region. Besides monitoring accessions to the Council of Europe conventions against terrorism and promoting their effective implementation, current Council of Europe priorities include pursuing exchanges of information and best practices on public and private compensations and insurance schemes for the victims of terrorism; preparing and updating country profiles on the legal and institutional capacity of the organization’s members States to combat terrorism; examining lacunae identified in international law — in that area, we are focusing on young persons as terrorist offenders and targets of terrorist propaganda; cyberterrorism and the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes; insurance schemes to cover terrorism-related damages; denial of residence to foreign terrorists; and combating and preventing terrorism through culture. As for the measures to build States’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism, the Council of Europe has set up a number of specific legal cooperation programmes open to its member States. The measures to ensure respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism are, perhaps, the most vital from the point of view of the Council of Europe, as they touch upon the reason for the existence of our organization. Since 1949, we have been dedicating our efforts to upholding human rights, the rule of law and pluralist democracy, and that is precisely the reason why we are determined to combat terrorism, which repudiates those three fundamental values. Virtually all of our activities are inspired by an uncompromising approach to the due protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as set out in the European Convention on Human Rights and other instruments elaborated in our organization. Let me sum up. To conclude, terrorism is indeed a complex phenomenon, and to fight it we need a comprehensive approach. Condemnation and suppression are essential, but they are not enough. We must also work to prevent the conditions that help terrorists to enlist new recruits for their criminal cause. Those two aims go hand in hand, as is clearly reflected in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. That document outlines a comprehensive global approach to countering that phenomenon by addressing not only its manifestations, but also the conditions conducive to its spread. It is certain that we must continue to develop further measures to eradicate that constantly changing scourge of the twenty-first century, but the implementation of the Strategy is essential for the effective fight against terrorism. We believe that regional organizations can and do provide meaningful contributions to supporting the sustained implementation of the Strategy. With the wealth of their standards and expertise, their knowledge of the regional threat perception and their field presence, the Council of Europe and all other regional and subregional organizations active in this field have already served and will continue to serve as a strategic and useful interface for the United Nations bodies, enhancing the effectiveness of the measures adopted here and the impact of the Strategy.