A/62/PV.119 General Assembly

It is a pleasure, Sir, to see you in the Chair. I have circulated a seven-page text, and I have no intention of terrorizing the interested few who have come here this morning by reading all seven of them. I shall therefore summarize it in about half the length, four pages or so. Terrorism continues to be a pervasive and insidious threat to global security and to the core values of the United Nations. India has been, and unfortunately remains, a victim of international terrorism. The recent attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul and the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad are gruesome reminders of the violence that we continue to face. Investigations are continuing and important arrests have been made that should give us substantive insight into those terrorist networks and their external ramifications. The investigations have also been extremely rapid and successful. India therefore has an overriding interest in greater and more meaningful international cooperation to counter terrorism. It also underscores the rationale behind our conviction that no political cause, no argument and no belief can or should be used to justify acts of terrorism. As we remember, Mahatma Gandhi preferred to postpone the independence of India rather than compromise with terrorism when there was a violent attack in the course of the non-cooperation movement. That gives us the moral right to say so. The future of the international campaign against terrorism hinges on success in rooting out terrorist networks and deterring regimes from encouraging or harbouring armed extremists. The General Assembly’s inability to reach an agreement on concluding the comprehensive convention against international terrorism limits the impact of its counter-terrorism efforts. We urge Member States to seriously consider the package presented by the coordinator that bridges the divergent views and would facilitate the successful closure of the protracted negotiating process of concluding the convention. The adoption of a comprehensive convention through the exercise of the law-making powers of the General Assembly is in the interests of all Member States and would reinvigorate the multilateral and collective dimensions of counter-terrorism efforts. Because one cannot both have one’s cake and eat it too, one cannot say that the General Assembly is the law- making body and should make laws, and that the Security Council should not, and yet we are unable to make laws ourselves. We therefore continue to call upon the world to act as one in denying terrorists and their ideologues and financiers access to arms, funds, the means of transporting their deadly goods, and safe havens. The significance of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted two years ago, lies in the fact that it established a global counter-terrorism framework and presented a template that would be pivotal in guiding the counter-terrorism efforts of Member States and the United Nations system. We thank the Secretary-General for his report (A/62/898) on activities of the United Nations system in implementing the Strategy, which highlights the efforts of the system to support the implementation of the Strategy both through its individual departments, specialized agencies, funds and programmes and through the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. We hope that the institutionalization of the Task Force will significantly strengthen its efforts to enable the different United Nations entities to effectively cooperate, coordinate and streamline the work of the United Nations system in the field of counter- terrorism. In that regard, we welcome the proposed integrated implementation initiative that will help the United Nations to deliver as one and avoid duplication. The primary responsibility for implementing the Strategy rests with the Member States. We therefore foresee the practical engagement of the Task Force with the Member States essentially to be at the bilateral level, guided by the individual needs of each Member State. Nevertheless, we also encourage interaction between Member States and the Task Force that will provide them with an opportunity to receive briefings from the Task Force on its work. At the national level, as an unfortunate but inevitable result of our tragic history of dealing with terrorism, India has accumulated the expertise and experience to do so. Our own efforts utilize all the available tools within the arsenal of a democratic nation governed by the rule of law. They run the gamut of efforts from surveillance methods governed by law, the monitoring of financial flows and effective legislation regarding dual-use items, to old-fashioned police investigative work. Some of those measures are listed in the text I have circulated in the Hall. The 13 major United Nations instruments relating to specific terrorist activities remain fundamental tools in the fight against terrorism. India is a party to all 13 major legal instruments. We also attach the utmost importance to the fulfilment of obligations under the relevant counter-terrorism resolutions of the United Nations. We have filed five national reports with the Counter-Terrorism Committee, giving a comprehensive picture of steps taken by India to counter terrorism. A 14-member composite delegation of United Nations counter-terrorism experts visited India in 2006. A detailed presentation of India’s counter-terrorism strategy was made to the Committee. We have in place an extensive legal framework for tackling terrorism. The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act incorporates provisions that deal with all aspects of terrorism, including incitement. The Act also criminalizes the raising of funds for terrorist activities, the holding of proceeds of terrorism, the harbouring of terrorists, and the unauthorized possession of any bomb, dynamite or hazardous explosive substance or other lethal weapon or substance capable of mass destruction, or biological or chemical substance of warfare. The necessary legal, regulatory and administrative framework for combating money- laundering and the financing of terrorism is also in place. The specific legislation to prevent the financing of terrorism includes the Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 2003 and the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act of 1967, as amended in 2003 and 2004. An Indian financial intelligence unit is already in operation and is the nodal agency responsible for receiving, processing and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions to intelligence and enforcement agencies. India has adhered to the existing regulatory framework governing controls over weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery and has strengthened those obligations by enacting the 2005 Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, which is an overarching and integrated piece of legislation prohibiting unlawful activities relating to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. Appropriate legislative, procedural and administrative measures have been instituted to regulate strategic exports from India and to ensure that conventional weapons do not fall into the wrong hands, whether those of State or non-State actors. We have appropriate controls in place for the enforcement of the effective customs, immigration and border controls necessary to prevent the movement of terrorists and the establishment of safe havens. The intricate linkages and networks that unite terror groups can be challenged only through concerted international cooperation and efforts by way of extradition, prosecution and information flows. India is engaged in those efforts at the regional and bilateral levels. India is party to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. The Convention provides for the extradition of persons accused of terrorist activities within SAARC member countries. In addition, India has entered into agreements with several countries relating to extradition and mutual assistance in criminal matters. To ensure a greater sense of security within the South Asian region, the fifteenth SAARC summit adopted the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, which allows member States to provide each other the greatest measure of mutual assistance in criminal matters. India has constituted joint working groups with 25 States and such regional organizations as the European Union and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation in order to coordinate and cooperate in counter-terrorism efforts. Those groups meet regularly and have proved useful in providing a forum for the exchange of information and experiences. We believe that capacity-building is one of the essential elements in combating terrorism. The Strategy in its entirety recommends an expanded role for the existing legal and institutional counter-terrorist framework within the United Nations in order to enhance the capabilities of Member States to combat terrorism. India remains willing to provide all assistance in the larger effort to counter the threat of terrorism. We are willing to share information with the relevant United Nations entities and to provide assistance bilaterally or multilaterally, especially to countries that are themselves not directly threatened by terrorism but whose participation is vital to the success of the larger international effort. Terrorism is an attack on the values that define the international community and seriously impairs the enjoyment of human rights. Nevertheless, States must ensure that all measures to combat terrorism comply with obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law. India has strong democratic institutions, an active civil society, a free and extremely critical media and a legal community firmly committed to the rule of law and the preservation of human rights. The security forces have strict directions to adhere to human rights standards while combating terrorism. We are committed to upholding human rights and to ensuring that there is no impunity. We appreciate the convening of the symposium on victims of terrorism, which will help to put a human face on the scourge of terrorism and to provide a forum for victims’ voices. The best tribute we can pay to the victims of terrorism is to ensure that no one else in the world suffers their fate. Finally, it would be remiss of me not to thank Ambassador Rosenthal, the Permanent Representative of Guatemala, who has very ably facilitated the informal consultations to finalize the draft resolution to be adopted by the General Assembly.

The Russian Federation is at the forefront in combating terrorism and has consistently favoured the robust strengthening of effective international counter- terrorism cooperation. In that regard, Russia would like to reiterate its dedication to the central guiding role of the United Nations in organizing and coordinating such cooperation. Experience unequivocally demonstrates that the leadership of the United Nations in combating terrorism serves to ensure the achievement of the genuine results required by the entire international community, from establishing functioning international legal and political instruments to combat terrorism to rendering technical counter-terrorism assistance and organizing comprehensive efforts to prevent terrorism and overcome the factors that fuel the emergence of terrorism. The adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy two years ago served as a very clear reaffirmation of the key role of the world Organization in international counter-terrorism efforts. Russia believes that the Strategy continues to be among the major strategic international counter-terrorism instruments. It is essentially a unique compilation of the positions of every Member State and a road map for our joint political and moral obligations in the priority areas of international counter-terrorism efforts. Moreover, the Strategy is not a declaration, but a document aimed at achieving specific goals. We need to turn to the provisions of the Strategy on counteracting incitement to terrorism and work against the use by terrorists of the potential of the Internet. To achieve that, we need to enlist the participation of the State and private sectors in combating terrorist threats. In our view, it is of the greatest importance to specifically promote precisely such an understanding of the significance of the Strategy in order to prevent its being undermined, inter alia, by the failure to fulfil excessively high expectations only two years after the Strategy came into existence. We believe that a constructive, realistic and simultaneously cautious approach to the Strategy and a review of its implementation is fully and properly reflected in the draft resolution produced for today’s meeting. We believe that such a draft resolution will ensure our further joint, involved and effective work within the framework of international anti-terrorist cooperation and will become an additional mechanism for the successful implementation of the Strategy. I would like to particularly stress that if we are able to move forward in implementing the Strategy and, most importantly, strengthen our efforts to counter and prevent terrorism, we can only do so together, representing the entire international community. Double-standards in dealing with international terrorism and attempts to subordinate anti-terrorist cooperation to one’s own political objectives inevitably weaken the struggle against terrorism and expand the field of action for terrorist groups and organizations. We support the work of the Task Force within the framework of the existing mandate, the strengthening of its interaction with the General Assembly, and the holding of regular briefings and the preparation of reports for Member States by the Task Force. We believe that those areas of the Task Force’s work and its institutionalization within the framework of existing resources will promote a further stepping up of efforts towards implementation of the provisions of the Strategy. Russia’s position is based on its consistent and vigorous support for the Strategy and its maximum possible implementation. It guides our participation in international anti-terrorist cooperation in both the multilateral and bilateral formats and, no less importantly, within the framework of anti-terrorist work at the national level. Informational materials have been distributed in this Hall concerning several parameters of the international and national anti-terrorist efforts of Russian authorities, and, to a greater and greater extent, of all Russian society. I would like to draw attention to several aspects of that information. Last December, the leading Russian State body responsible for the organization and coordination of anti-terrorist work, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee, consisting of the leaders of the relevant competent Russian ministries and the parliamentary leadership, adopted an extremely important document on the implantation of a range of additional measures to counter terrorism in the Russian Federation within the framework of the demands of the United Nations Global Anti-Terrorism Strategy. The document, taken together with specific provisions of the Strategy, formulates Russia’s goal for the next two or three years of speeding up adherence to a number of European and international legal instruments on terrorism. It also contains provisions for the ongoing improvement of Russian anti-terrorist legislation, including measures to counter cyberterrorism and to forestall any possibility of terrorists accessing weapons of mass destruction. It also addresses the expansion of anti-terrorist partnerships among States, businesses and civil society and the promotion within that context, of the development of dialogue and mutual understanding among civilizations and religions. In that regard, I would like to emphasize particularly that the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy has been fully accepted by Russian law enforcement agencies and by civil society institutions cooperating with them in the field of anti-terrorism and has been organically interwoven into the daily anti-terrorist efforts in my country. I would also like to note another document guiding practical affairs of the Russian State and at implementing the objectives of the global anti-terrorist efforts. The document, adopted by the Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee in April, is a comprehensive counter-terrorism plan for the Russian Federation from 2008-2012. Among its most important elements are those measures to halt the spread of violent extremist and terrorist ideology, inter alia, through the Internet which, as is well known, is increasingly being actively used by terrorists to recruit their supporters and to influence public opinion. Particular stress has also been put on the development of anti-terrorist cooperation through the mass media, academic and cultural circles, educational institutions and religious organizations. Such interaction must meet important counter- terrorism objectives by promoting, training and educating young people in the spirit of rejecting terrorism and extremism and by reaffirming within society the principles of tolerance and the equality of cultures and religions. Russia’s most important achievement in the fight against terrorism is the substantive and irreversible reduction of terrorist threats on Russian territory as compared to the 1990s or the early years of the twenty- first century. The Russian Federation is ready to actively and constructively share with its foreign partners its anti-terrorist experience, of proven effectiveness. We are convinced that it can contribute to the essential comprehensive implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy that we all hope to achieve.

The delegation of Colombia would like to thank President Kerim and the Secretary-General for preparing and convening this meeting, which provides an opportunity to consider the progress made in the fight against terrorism. I would also like to stress the importance of examining the progress made in the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. This review is a valuable exercise, not only to assess progress made during the first two years of the Strategy, but also to give impetus to the implementation of that instrument through new policies and measures. Colombia is pursuing a comprehensive counter- terrorism policy. In Colombia, terrorism is the method that illegal armed groups have chosen to threaten the stability of the State. As a result of their criminal acts, those organizations have made civilians among their primary targets. That was demonstrated in two recent separate incidents of indiscriminate bombings in which several civilians were killed and more than 100 injured. From the beginning of its implementation in 2002, the democratic security policy established in Colombia identified terrorism as one of the most serious threats to be addressed by the State. In recent years, Colombia has made unprecedented progress in the fight against that threat and in the implementation of measures to address the conditions conducive to its spread. In efforts to restore security throughout the territory, the country has added the consolidation of the rule of law and the strengthening of the capacity for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, an approach highlighted in the Global Strategy. In that regard, more than 1 million Colombians have been trained in peaceful conflict resolution. The foreign policy of Colombia has joined in the global rejection of terrorism. We support the initiatives for hemispheric and global cooperation in preventing, combating and eliminating the threat. That is why we have participated in defining the mandates and political commitments agreed upon at the Summits of the Americas and in the context of the Rio Group, the Organization of American States and the United Nations, among other international forums. In that context, we also reject conduct such as the kidnapping or murder of civilians, the destruction of infrastructure and the use of explosives against the population, which the international community has described as terrorist acts. Likewise, Colombia has striven to implement United Nations resolutions on measures to combat terrorism. In keeping with our commitments, we have ratified 10 out of the 13 international conventions adopted within the framework of the United Nations in that area, and we are considering adopting the remaining three. In its strategy, Colombia has updated domestic legislation through mechanisms that permit inter- agency coordination and capacity-building aimed at gathering intelligence information, both to prevent terrorist acts and to dismantle terrorist networks and support structures. In this struggle, the State’s actions have been robust. Recent military and police successes reflect the efforts of our armed forces against terrorism and organized crime. We have dismantled a significant portion of the structures of illegal armed groups, which have lost not only command and control, but also several of their key leaders. Approximately 48,000 members of such groups have been demobilized. Furthermore, the mobility of those who carry out illegal armed activity has been significantly curtailed. In 2007, Colombia experienced its lowest homicide rate in 20 years; that trend has continued thus far in 2008. Likewise, the number of terrorist acts committed in 2007 was the lowest in 18 years; thus far in 2008 there have been no attacks against towns. The number of municipalities affected by terrorist acts declined from 551 in 2002 to 210 in 2007. Regional and local governance has been restored throughout the national territory. Kidnapping, a crime linked to terrorism, has fallen by 81 per cent. In activities with other countries, Colombia’s authorities have broadened the channels for cooperation and information exchange, enabling them to identify, freeze and confiscate assets and resources that fuel terrorist organizations. In 2006, in order to harmonize our legislation with international norms, we enacted Law 1121, which criminalized the financing of terrorism and the management of resources related to terrorist activities. Since 2006, the intelligence and financial analysis unit, a national entity for the prevention and detection of possible money-laundering activities and the financing of terrorism, has worked to exchange information with other financial intelligence units throughout the world. We have stepped up our exchange of information with a significant number of countries in order to counter activities related to terrorism and drug trafficking, through forums, seminars and workshops promoted by Colombia at the highest level. The implementation of measures to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law as the basis for the fight against terrorism is another key element in the policies adopted by Colombia in this area. Those measures are part of a State policy implemented in accordance with international treaties signed by Colombia and are based on the norms underpinning respect for human rights and support for victims. An example of those activities is the provisions adopted to compensate victims of terrorism through administrative proceedings. They will make it possible to provide swift compensation to victims and their families without resorting to judicial proceedings, which previously lasted for years. In addition, the Attorney General has strengthened the national human rights and international humanitarian law unit, a specialized body mandated to investigate crimes violating human rights and international humanitarian law. The national Government has been working to formulate a national action plan on human rights and international humanitarian law. The early warning system and the inter-agency committee will be strengthened and consolidated as mechanisms for the prevention of large-scale human rights violations and infringements of international humanitarian law. We will continue our programmes to protect human rights and to support persons who have been demobilized or reintegrated into society and reincorporate them into civilian life. For its part, the Ministry of National Defence has implemented a policy aimed at the comprehensive protection of human rights and international humanitarian law as a legitimizing aspect of the actions of the military forces. The recent successful rescue of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, 3 United States citizens and 11 members of the security forces, who had been captives of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), reflects the effectiveness of that comprehensive policy. This strategy is being carried out through the integrity and operational safety policy of the National Police — an intrinsic and essential human rights policy that sets out a series of internal strategies to ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of police services. The plan of action set out in the Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy is an incomparable tool in the international context. It should be strengthened on an ongoing basis through effective measures that permit real progress towards the eradication of that criminal phenomenon. That is why Colombia once again calls on Member States and the United Nations system to implement the operative measures set out in the plan of action. In the context of implementing the Global Strategy, Colombia considers it a priority to honour the commitment to provide no support, refuge or asylum to persons involved in terrorist acts, as stipulated in the plan of action and in relevant United Nations resolutions. The international community must continue to study measures to address non-compliance with that commitment. In that connection, particular attention should be given to measures aimed at combating the sources of terrorist financing in all its forms, improving border controls and customs and effectively suppressing illicit drug trafficking and money-laundering. Cooperation measures should also include the activation of mechanisms that permit effective international coordination and the strengthening of the capacity to gather and process information, both to prevent terrorist acts and to dismantle terrorist networks and their support structures. It is also essential to address the links between terrorism and other forms of transnational crime, in particular illegal drug trafficking and the illicit trade in weapons, ammunition and explosives, kidnapping and extortion and homicide. Therefore, a comprehensive international strategy is required to tackle the links between this phenomenon and other criminal manifestations. Colombia would like also to stress the importance of the international community’s moving towards the recognition, protection and promotion of the rights of victims of terrorism. While joint international work is under way in the fight against terrorist acts, the issue of victims of terrorism and their rights does not have sufficient legal support mechanisms in the international arena. Finally, I would like to reiterate Colombia’s call on the General Assembly and all Member States to fully apply the principle of shared responsibility that involves us all in the fight against terrorism. This is a global threat that does not respect borders and threatens the stability of all States. No argument justifies shirking the fight against that scourge.

Allow me first of all to express my appreciation to the President of the Assembly for organizing this meeting and to the Permanent Representative of Guatemala, Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, for his efforts in facilitating the informal consultations on this very important topic. The adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by the General Assembly was indeed a historic event. For the first time, all 192 States Members of the United Nations agreed to a common strategic approach to almost all the important aspects of the fight against terrorism. Today, the Strategy plays a crucial role in strengthening the legal foundation of the anti-terrorism coalition, ensuring a comprehensive approach to the international fight against terrorism. It calls not only for resisting all acts of international terrorism and its ideology, but also for eliminating the problems that feed it. We believe that the value of the Strategy is in identifying the coordinated measures to counteract terrorism taken at the national and international levels. The Strategy has great potential to bolster the efforts of the international community in the fight against terrorism and strengthens the multilateral nature of counter-terrorist actions taken by States. We welcome the report of the Secretary-General devoted to United Nations activities on the implementation of the Strategy. We believe that the report fully reflects United Nations activities, in particular those undertaken by the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force through its plan of action, to implement the provisions of the Strategy. We think that the work of the Task Force should be more active, fruitful and transparent to Member States. The Task Force should be integrated into the Secretariat, and expanding its capabilities is a top priority on the agenda. In order to fulfil its mandate, the Task Force is in need of additional funds, personnel and technical resources. The Strategy identifies four principal courses of action to achieve its complete realization. They are all extremely important. We believe that the emphasis of the international community should be, before anything else, on the first two courses of action, in no case diminishing the value of the others. Taking into consideration measures aimed at achieving the elimination of conditions contributing to the expansion of terrorism, the methods of prevention of terrorism and the war against it, along with such conditions as hunger and poverty that are favourable to terrorism, we would speak first and foremost of the elimination of illicit drug trafficking. Illicit drug trafficking is the financial foundation of terrorism and therefore must be eliminated at the first instance. The Republic of Kazakhstan consistently supports the strengthening of national and regional cooperation to solve the international drug control problem. We believe that such cooperation could become one of the most important orientations in the work of the Task Force. We think that the working group on addressing the radicalization and extremism that lead to terrorism and the working group on preventing and resolving conflicts are among those in which Member States need to increase their activity. Allow me to briefly inform the Assembly of the counter-terrorism actions that are taken in my country. Appropriate State bodies take all necessary organizational and practical measures to detect and suppress terrorist activity, while also preventing and minimizing the terrorist threat as a whole. At this point, we have been successful in preventing the spread of terrorist acts. Our actions helped to neutralize the activity of international terrorist organizations under the control of Al-Qaida, such as the Zhamaat of Mojaheddin of Central Asia, the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement and the extremist religious party Hisb-ut-Tahrir, which is prohibited in Kazakhstan. The tracing of persons and organizations associated with terrorist activities is being carried out within the framework of fulfilling our international obligations and responding to requests of assistance from other countries, regardless of the place of execution of the terrorist acts. Certain efforts are aimed at creating a counter- terrorism mechanism allowing for a systematic and complex usage of all possible Government resources. The Anti-terrorist Interagency Centre, created in my country with the involvement of 11 law enforcement agencies, now resolves issues related to the prevention of terrorist acts within the framework of cooperation with such international and regional organizations as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and others. In conclusion, I would like to stress that, as of today, Kazakhstan has ratified all 13 international conventions against terrorism. My delegation strongly supports the text of the draft resolution on the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy and calls upon States to adopt that draft resolution at today’s meeting. We are sure that the constructive and successful cooperation between Member States in the implementation of the Strategy will strengthen regional and international security and eliminate the issue of international terrorism in the future.

I would like to express Austria’s gratitude to Ambassador Gert Rosenthal for his outstanding efforts in facilitating the consultations on the draft resolution on the review of the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. The adoption by consensus of the Strategy two years ago was a landmark event. It constitutes the first universally agreed strategic framework to counter terrorism. Its success, however — and I think we all agree on this — depends entirely on its implementation through concrete measures. We would at this stage also like to take this opportunity to thank the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, under the leadership of Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr, for its very important work. We hope that the process of institutionalizing the Task Force and endowing it with the necessary funding from the regular United Nations budget will soon be complete. Austria fully supports the statements made by the French Presidency and the European Union Counter- Terrorism Coordinator on behalf of the European Union. I will therefore limit my intervention to highlighting three areas in which Austria has undertaken additional efforts to contribute to the implementation of the Strategy. First, it is essential to ensure that the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Strategy is implemented globally in a holistic and integrated manner. In order to advance global implementation of the Strategy, Austria, together with the United Nations Task Force and the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organized the Vienna Terrorism Symposium this past May, which for the first time brought together all stakeholders: Member States, the Task Force, regional and subregional organizations and civil society. Many have called it a milestone in our common efforts. UNODC has published proceedings of the Symposium, and they are available in hard copy in all United Nations languages and also, of course, on the UNODC website. We consider the integrated implementation of the Strategy crucial to its success. Austria has therefore given a voluntary contribution of more than $100,000 to support the efforts of the Working Group of the Task Force on Integrated Implementation. Our second priority area is capacity-building in all States as a core element of the global counter- terrorism effort. Austria strongly supports the development of State capacity to implement the Strategy through technical assistance provided by the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch. In this context, my delegation would like to pay a special tribute to Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde and to thank him for his outstanding work. At the same time, we warmly welcome his successor, who is with us — Ambassador Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin of Sweden. Austria is one of the largest voluntary contributors to the Terrorism Prevention Branch. With its initial contribution of $1 million, it was instrumental in launching the Global Project on Strengthening the Legal Regime against Terrorism. In 2007, we increased our contribution to this project to assist least developed countries by another $515,000. In July 2008, Austria sponsored — and reference, for which we are thankful, has been made by quite a number of delegations — a very successful legal workshop for small island developing States on countering maritime terrorism. We remain firmly committed to strengthening the legal framework to combat international terrorism. Austria has ratified and implemented all 14 relevant universal legal instruments, as well as all relevant Security Council resolutions. We hope very soon to be among the first to have ratified and implemented the entire legal architecture in the field of counter- terrorism. With respect to combating the abuse of the Internet by terrorists, we have shared our best practices with the Task Force Working Group on Countering the Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes. Now I come to the third area of Austrian activities. Those activities aim at addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. We think that promoting the rule of law and human rights and preventing radicalization and extremism are activities that all of us must undertake and encourage. As a member of the Human Security Network, Austria attaches great importance to the nexus between security, development, the rule of law and human rights, which are preconditions for peace and human security and thus contribute to the prevention of the radicalization and extremism that lead to terrorism. Both at the national level and in our bilateral development cooperation, Austria promotes human rights education, education in peacebuilding and fostering tolerance as a bulwark against radicalization and extremism. More than one third of Austrian development cooperation programmes and projects are designed to support democracy and human rights in order to enable people to actively participate in policymaking. Austria also has a long-standing tradition in promoting dialogue between cultures and religions. We have been particularly active in organizing conferences, workshops and projects aimed at preventing political and social radicalization on all sides and strengthening moderate forces against radical and extremist positions. During the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (2008), Austria has intensified its activities, focusing on women, youth and the media. Together with some European Union partners, Austria is carrying out several projects addressing the phenomenon of violent radicalization related to specific areas and hotspots such as prisons. These projects aim at preventing radicalization and recruitment as well as building capacity in the field of administration, security and civil society. In order to succeed in implementing the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Strategy on a global level, we need solidarity, partnership and cooperation. To meet the global threat of terrorism, we must unite our strengths, all of us — Member States and international organizations, regional and subregional bodies, civil society, victims’ organizations and the private sector. That is the real challenge ahead of us.

At the outset, I wish to congratulate General Assembly President Kerim and Ambassador Rosenthal of Guatemala, facilitator of the discussions on draft resolution A/62/L.48, on the successful conclusion of one more step in the United Nations efforts in the fight against terrorism. We welcome the draft resolution as a positive step in the process of the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The draft reaffirms the importance of the Strategy and its four pillars and the central role of the General Assembly in addressing the issue. Just as importantly, it underlines the relevance of international cooperation in the prevention of and fight against terrorism, in accordance with international law. We also welcome the decision to institutionalize the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, as a means to enhance coordination and coherence between the various United Nations entities dealing with the issue and to deepen the interaction between the General Assembly and the Task Force. The views we expressed on the Strategy and its plan of action during the informal session held in December last year remain valid, and I shall not repeat them. All the same, while recognizing the importance of implementing actions in the context of the four pillars of the Strategy, we wish to emphasize the need to achieve progress in the first pillar, as a means of developing actions that are more fair and effective in the prevention of terrorism in the long run. I wish to highlight some of my Government’s efforts in the global fight against terrorism. The repudiation of terrorism is a guiding principle of Brazilian international relations enshrined in our Constitution. Acts of terrorism are addressed in our refugees’ law as an exclusion clause in the recognition of the status of refugees. Furthermore, the financing of terrorism is considered a predicate offence to money- laundering under our anti-money-laundering law. While we are still working to update our legislation, particular progress has been made in establishing measures to prevent the financing of terrorism. Brazil is a founding member of the South American Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and has chaired it since June 2008. Brazil is a party to all international conventions and protocols against terrorism and is in the process of ratifying the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. My country is also a party to the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism and participates actively in the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism. With regard to recent developments, I should mention the institutional restructuring of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, which resulted in the strengthening of its counter-terrorism section. No terrorist activities have been reported on Brazil’s territory. Nonetheless, the monitoring of vulnerabilities and measures to prevent terrorist acts and their financing continue to be enhanced. In a move that was not directly linked to counter- terrorism but that has had a significant impact on our prevention measures, Brazil has adopted new passports that use state-of-the-art technology, in accordance with international security norms established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Since December 2006, virtually all new passports —totalling more than 1.2 million — have been issued under the new system. We welcome the progress made so far in the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which also sets the stage for another review and for updating in response to changes. But we should not lose sight of the need to move forward with the negotiations on the adoption of a convention on international terrorism. We believe that it would be to the benefit of all to complement existing instruments and to ensure that, as we tackle the threat of terrorism, a strengthened and comprehensive international legal framework is put in place.

My delegation subscribes to the statements made by the representative of Pakistan on behalf of the States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and by the representative of the Republic of Guinea on behalf of the Group of African States. We thank President Kerim for having organized this first biennial review of the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. My delegation also thanks the Secretary-General for having provided our meeting with an informative and detailed report on the activities carried out by the United Nations system to implement the Strategy (A/62/898). In addition, our thanks go to the facilitator, His Excellency Mr. Gert Rosenthal, Permanent Representative of Guatemala, for his commendable efforts in the formulation of the draft resolution on the Strategy. By unanimously adopting the Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy on 8 September 2006, States Members of the United Nations resolutely committed themselves to do their utmost to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Today, two years after that historic achievement, it is our duty to revisit the Strategy in order to assess achievements, identify possible shortcomings and seek to apply remedies where needed. Thus we hope that this meeting will enable us to agree on major actions to be undertaken at all levels identified in the Strategy so that we can improve its implementation, which is already well under way, and can provide it with greater momentum. It is gratifying to note that, since the adoption of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, significant efforts have been made to implement it, thanks largely to considerable efforts by several United Nations bodies, programmes, funds and specialized agencies and by regional and non-governmental organizations to promote, inter alia, economic development, conflict prevention, the culture of peace and the dialogue among civilizations. Among the actions carried out in those areas, initiatives undertaken to strengthen intercultural and interreligious dialogue, because they contribute to better understanding among peoples and to the emergence of a greater culture of tolerance, are assuming particular importance in the struggle to eradicate the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. The dialogue among civilizations, the fight against prejudice, tolerance and the strengthening of understanding among religions and cultures are clearly among the most effective ways to promote cooperation and success in the fight against terrorism. That is why we welcome UNESCO’s adoption, in October 2007, of a Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013 on the promotion of cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and the culture of peace, as well as the holding in Madrid on 16 and 17 July 2008, of the conference on interreligious dialogue organized at the joint initiative of His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain. It is by keeping alive the ideals of peace, dialogue and tolerance that we shall effectively assist in meeting the challenge of ensuring for present and future generations a peaceful and more secure world, free from hatred and gratuitous violence. Another challenge that we must meet in the fight against terrorism remains that of development. In that regard, I should emphasize that it is by promoting development and creating decent living conditions for all and by fighting poverty and destitution that we will be able to tackle the breeding ground for hatred, violence and the radicalization that can lead to terrorism. The important role played by the Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force — created in June 2005 by the Secretary-General to ensure the coordination and coherence of the actions taken within the United Nations system to combat terrorism — deserves to be highlighted in several respects. That is why we strongly support the Secretary-General’s initiative to institutionalize the Task Force and why we recall the need to further strengthen, under his leadership, the existing mechanisms for cooperation and technical assistance to provide countries that wish it with sufficient human, technical and financial resources to combat terrorism. In addition to providing the Task Force with an independent budget, in accordance with clear and well-defined modalities, the institutionalization should lead to greater communication with Member States, in particular through the production of written reports on its major activities and through the exchange of information about its guidelines. The strengthening of the international legal framework through greater adherence by States to the various international legal instruments dealing with terrorism, the strengthening of security measures in airports and maritime environments and the intensification of the struggle against the financing of terrorism and drug trafficking are all actions that can serve as yardsticks for properly measuring progress already accomplished in the prevention of and struggle against terrorism. However, none of our States alone can effectively meet that challenge at the global level. There is therefore a need to implement more dynamic and more inclusive international cooperation, in particular regarding the exchange of information and experience, while stressing the strengthening of existing mechanisms for cooperation and for technical and financial assistance. In that spirit, we welcome the holding, in Rabat, Morocco, from 12 to 16 May, of the Fifth Conference of Ministers of Justice of Francophone African countries for the implementation of the universal instruments against terrorism. The Declaration and the draft convention on mutual legal assistance and extradition against terrorism approved at that meeting are truly valuable tools for cooperation in implementing the Strategy. It can certainly be agreed that, even if we have the right to hail the progress made by the various United Nations entities in implementing the Strategy, we must never lose sight of the fact that implementation devolves first and foremost on Member States. Aware of that responsibility, Senegal, which is a party to nearly all of the international conventions on terrorism — 13 of 16 — has further strengthened its actions to combat the scourge so as to better succeed in implementing the Strategy. That serves to reconfirm the ongoing commitment of my country to combating terrorism. Here, I wish to recall that at the initiative of His Excellency Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, a conference of heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity took place in Dakar, on 17 October 2001. The Dakar Declaration against Terrorism adopted at that meeting was the basis for the adoption, in July 2004, of the Additional Protocol to the Algiers Convention on the Combating and Preventing of Terrorism. Senegal has also adopted a series of internal measures aimed at strengthening legal and institutional mechanisms existing in this area. As an example, the Government of Senegal, which since 2003 has been involved in a campaign to combat the financing of terrorism, adopted Law 2004-09 of 6 February 2004, mandating the identification of suspicious operations in line with a uniform law on the struggle against terrorism and money-laundering in the West African Economic and Monetary Union. Similarly, a national entity for dealing with financial information was created by Decree 2004-1150 of 18 August 2004 to gather together and process the results of such operations. In that framework, too, Law 2007-01 of 12 February 2007, amending the Penal Code, introduced article 279-3 on the definition of the financing of terrorism. Senegal also engaged in two legislative reforms through Laws 2007-01 and 2007-04 of 12 February 2007, amending the Penal Code and the Code for Penal Procedure. Those laws provide for the definition and suppression of terrorist acts and frame the specific procedure for so doing. Along the same lines, four texts were recently adopted, designed to prevent and punish violations of penal law committed through the Internet. Those are Law 2008-11 on cybercrime, Law 2008-08 on electronic transactions, Law 2008-12 on the protection of personal data, and Law 2008-10 on the information society. It is clear that the progress that has been made, although considerable, cannot make us lose sight of the magnitude of the road that lies ahead to overcome terrorism. Beyond mere declarations of dedication, a positive outcome to our shared goal of eradicating terrorism depends on the pooling of the efforts of all of the players involved in the context of sincere and dynamic cooperation. In conclusion, we wish to reaffirm the importance of respect for human rights in combating terrorism. To be fully effective, our actions in that area must always take place in strict respect for human rights, international law and the norms and principles laid down by the United Nations Charter. Our determination thus to conduct a crusade against that scourge must never make us lose sight of the fact that our campaign will succeed only through the respect for human rights.

At the outset, I would like to reiterate that my delegation fully aligns itself with the statement made on this item yesterday by the representative of France on behalf of the European Union. In my intervention, I would like to add a few additional comments on behalf of my delegation. Slovakia welcomed the adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in September 2006 as a clear demonstration of the will of Member States to fight the plague of terrorism through multilateral cooperation and joint efforts. We fully agree with the Secretary-General that only the concerted action of all actors at all levels — national, international, regional and subregional — including civil society, can bring about tangible results in the process of implementing the Strategy. In that regard, Slovakia is undertaking concrete steps and initiatives to support the implementation of the Strategy at all levels. At the domestic level, we have focused our efforts on reinforcement of State capacity to fight and prevent terrorism and also to fulfil relevant Security Council resolutions. We have adopted all 13 international legal instruments to counter terrorism and we are ready to share our experience and national practices under implementation with our partner States Members of the United Nations. We fully agree with previous speakers that performance at the national level is crucial to the implementation of the Strategy. In that regard, both the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly, in their statements yesterday, rightly emphasized the need for all Member States to join all international legal instruments to counter terrorism. We fully support that appeal since only a comprehensive approach to all aspects of the fight against terrorism can provide adequate and efficient protection against that evil. In that respect, we also join their call on all Member States to redouble their efforts to finalize the negotiations on the draft text of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism during the upcoming sixty-third session of the General Assembly. At the international level, among other endeavours, Slovakia participated as a sponsor of the International Process on Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation, mentioned earlier. Also based on our experience from chairing the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) for the past two years, we have focused our attention in that process on the issues of United Nations cooperation with functional intergovernmental bodies and regional and subregional organizations, as well as on the role of civil society in fighting terrorism. We are pleased that the value of those bodies in our common fight against terrorism is also recognized in the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) before us today. I wish to underline that those bodies have unique potential, capabilities and comparative advantages that should be better used to accelerate the process of implementing the Strategy and to make the fight against terrorism more efficient and coordinated at the global, regional and national levels. Above all, some issues in the fight against terrorism can be addressed efficiently only through regional cooperation. That is why we believe that the involvement of regional organizations in the implementation of the Strategy is crucial. Moreover, regional and subregional organizations can play an important role in raising awareness and promoting regional cooperation to secure the implementation of the Strategy. Last but not least, regional organizations can assist in ensuring that the implementation of the Strategy receives adequate political attention and support from the countries of the region by endorsing it as a matter of regional priority. In that respect, we believe that regional action plans on the implementation of the Strategy might be a good way to speed up the process and strengthen cooperation. Regional organizations need to be further engaged by the United Nations on the implementation of the Strategy. In that respect, it is important that regional organizations have concrete interlocutors at the United Nations on the implementation of the various aspects of the Strategy. There are already a few concrete contacts between regional organizations and different United Nations bodies dealing with various aspects of the fight against terrorism. For instance, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) are involved in various regional workshops and dialogue with regional organizations on issues related to fighting terrorism. In my view, we need to bring those contacts and cooperation with the United Nations on counter-terrorism into one coherent system, with the roles of the various players and entities within the Task Force clearly defined, and to facilitate communication with them and between them. Joint regional outreach activities involving regional organizations and various functional international bodies can help stimulate regional cooperation in combating terrorism and develop national inter-agency cooperation, which is also very important. They can also facilitate better global and regional interaction among the various stakeholders, including international intergovernmental organizations. Those activities should be further encouraged and supported, including, if appropriate, by creating a trust fund for regional workshops to exchange experiences and best practices in the regions. Finally, civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must also play an important role and make a useful contribution to promoting the implementation of the Strategy. We need to find ways in which to engage and involve civil society in the process of furthering implementation of the Strategy. There are already concrete examples of the participation of NGOs in activities to promote the implementation of the counter-terrorism resolutions of the Security Council in various regions, which, in our view, should be appropriately multiplied in the regions and taken as an inspiration for a more systematic approach in that respect. In conclusion, I would also like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the facilitator, Mr. Gert Rosenthal, Permanent Representative of Guatemala, for his tireless efforts and professional approach to the preparation of the draft resolution before us. We support the draft resolution as it currently stands.

At the outset, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to President Kerim on convening this important meeting to review the progress made in the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. I commend the hard work of Ambassador Rosenthal, who has led the process of the review of the Strategy, resulting in the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) that awaits action by the General Assembly. The Republic of Korea firmly believes that terrorism poses one of the gravest threats to international peace and security. Despite the resolute response of the international community to that scourge, terrorism has continued to torment the international community. Terrorism undermines the reconstruction and stabilization of war-torn countries. The increasing link between terrorism and transnational crime is alarming. The Republic of Korea fully shares the global concern and has joined the international community in strongly condemning terrorism, irrespective of its forms and motivations. It is fully committed to preventing and combating that violent epidemic. If we are to effectively respond to terrorist threats, comprehensive and systematic counter- terrorism efforts are required at the global level. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy offers a solid basis for comprehensive and systematic counter-terrorism activities by the international community. The four pillars of the Strategy are mutually reinforcing and, thus, should be implemented in a coordinated and integrated manner. In that regard, the Republic of Korea strongly supports the Strategy and the complete implementation of its four pillars. Furthermore, the harmonization of counter- terrorism measures and the exchange of the best practices of the various regions and Member States are important elements in the effort to cope with the threat of terrorism. In that regard, interaction between the United Nations and regional bodies and the Member States is essential to increase the synergy effect to address global terrorism. There can be no possible justification for terrorism. However, the underlying conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism should be properly addressed in seeking sustainable solutions to the problem. The Republic of Korea has made efforts to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism by promoting interreligious and intercultural tolerance. It has played an active part in the promotion of intercultural dialogue through the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, the Alliance of Civilizations and the Asia-Europe Meeting, to name but a few. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy underlines the link between development and the fight against terrorism. With that nexus in mind, the Republic of Korea has strived to support international efforts for poverty reduction, disease control, the development of human resources and sustainable development. In that regard, as of 2007 the Republic of Korea has tripled its official development assistance since 2000. The Republic of Korea is well aware of the strong possibility of terrorists exploiting political, economic and social instability to incite hatred and instigate terrorist acts. In that regard, the prevention and resolution of conflicts are important elements in countering the threat of terrorism. The Republic of Korea has participated in 14 peacekeeping operations to date and has firmly supported United Nations peacebuilding initiatives. Prevention should be ensured before attacks are committed. International legal norms can be instrumental in achieving that goal. The Republic of Korea is a party to 12 United Nations counter-terrorism conventions and has signed the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. It also supports the early conclusion of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Denying terrorists access to the resources used in carrying out their attacks is crucial to countering the threat of terrorism. Cutting off access to terrorist financing is of great importance as it can prevent terrorist schemes from advancing beyond the initial stages. The Republic of Korea enacted the Prohibition of Financing for Offences of Public Intimidation Act in December 2007 to implement the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. Additionally, it has strived to implement the 40+9 Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force. The international community’s dependence on information and communication technology has deepened. Accordingly, the possibility of social paralysis due to terrorist threats and attacks on cyberspace also grows stronger. To address that concern, the Republic of Korea has taken steps to enhance cybersecurity and support capacity-building activities in various regional forums. Further, it believes that the institutionalization of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force should be pursued in such a way as to improve overall coordination and coherence of counter-terrorism activities within the United Nations system. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy underscores the importance of capacity- building in all States in the fight against terrorism. The Republic of Korea also agrees on that point, as all countries of the world need to have a certain level of counter-terrorism capability in order for the international community to effectively combat the problem. In that regard, the Republic of Korea makes efforts to help other States to build their State capacity by offering capacity-building assistance. The Republic of Korea has provided more than 20 counter-terrorism programmes to a number of countries. They cover a broad spectrum of projects in fighting against not only terrorism, but also crimes that might be connected to this issue. The Republic of Korea supports efficient counter- terrorism capacity-building assistance activities. It believes that they can be achieved through the promotion of coordination and coherence by the United Nations. The Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council should continue to improve the coherence and efficiency of technical assistance delivery for counter-terrorism capacity. We believe that the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force should contribute to United Nations-centred comprehensive and efficient counter-terrorism capacity-building. The Republic of Korea is convinced that effective counter-terrorism efforts and the protection of human rights are not contradictory but, rather, are mutually reinforcing. It supports the role of the United Nations system in consolidating the international legal framework by promoting the rule of law and human rights. The Republic of Korea is a State party to major international legal instruments of human rights law, refugee law and international humanitarian law. It has endeavoured to ensure that its various counter- terrorism measures comply with obligations under those international legal instruments. We are never alone in the fight against terrorism because we are all united under the goal of ensuring peace and security for the international community. With that goal in mind, the Republic of Korea takes this opportunity to reaffirm its strong commitment to the international community’s efforts to combat terrorism.

On behalf of the Nigerian delegation, I wish to express our appreciation to President Kerim and, through him, to the Permanent Representative of Guatemala, Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, for the painstaking and wide consultations he undertook in the run-up to this debate in order to facilitate the drafting of an outcome document that would command the consensus of all delegations. I also wish to express the appreciation of my delegation for the tireless efforts of the Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force and its various working groups, as well as the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy since its adoption in 2006. Let me reiterate that Nigeria condemns acts of terrorism in all their forms and manifestations, irrespective of motive. We view acts of terrorism as threats to international peace and security, and Nigeria reaffirms its support for the counter-terrorism measures undertaken by the United Nations. In September 2006, the General Assembly and United Nations Member States demonstrated their unity and resolve to combat terrorism by adopting the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by consensus. The Strategy presents a welcome opportunity to review past measures, correct shortcomings and fill gaps in the fight against terrorism by offering a comprehensive framework for a coherent international response to terrorism, with the United Nations at its heart. The Strategy gives priority attention to addressing underlying conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, such as poverty, lack of good governance and social and economic marginalization. The Strategy also emphasizes the imperative of respecting human rights and the rule of law as a sine qua non to successfully combating terrorism. Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to fighting terrorism within the framework of the rule of law, respect for human rights and the universal instruments on terrorism. Nigeria believes that the Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy remains a key political achievement that should be improved and built upon. This meeting provides the opportunity to examine the progress made in its implementation and to consider updating it to respond to changes that have taken place since its adoption. It is therefore our intention to share with other delegations the efforts and experiences we have gained and the challenges encountered in the process of implementing the Global Strategy. Some of the measures adopted in Nigeria’s efforts to implement the four pillars of the Global Strategy in combating terrorism include its ongoing support for and strengthening of the capacity of the United Nations in the areas of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, mindful of the fact that the Global Strategy recognizes that the peaceful resolution of unresolved conflicts contributes to strengthening the global fight against terrorism. In the past two years, we have committed more troops and financial resources to the United Nations Advance Mission in the Sudan in the search for peace in the Darfur region of that country. We have effectively supported the work of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, especially in Guinea- Bissau. Nigeria has also supported the work of UNODC in strengthening justice, integrity and the rule of law, especially in post-conflict societies in Africa. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multireligious society. Consequently, the promotion of tolerance, including religious tolerance, is one of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of State policy enshrined in chapter II of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999. In that context, the Federal Government enlists the support of the media and targeted programmes to promote religious tolerance and dialogue among all faiths and ethnic nationalities with a view to preventing the defamation of religious values, beliefs and cultures. That approach is usually carried out through the continuous interreligious and intrareligious body meetings and the periodic organization of seminars on topical issues and developments that could lead to intolerance, disunity, violence and terrorism. Incitement to commit offences related to terrorism is against the law in Nigeria. In addition, Nigeria does not provide a safe haven to terrorists or to those who incite others to commit terrorist or other criminal acts. Such individuals are prevented from entering Nigeria in the first instance through exchanges and information-sharing with other countries. Nigeria has ratified nine of the universal instruments against terrorism, including the amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, which was ratified in April 2007, while the remaining instruments are at different stages of ratification. A terrorism prevention bill is before the National Assembly. The focus of the bill is on all the wider issues addressed in Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), including specific provisions regarding the freezing, confiscation and repatriation of terrorist- related funds and assets. It also addresses the key issues addressed in some of the universal instruments against terrorism that are yet to be ratified by Nigeria. To discourage the organization, instigation, facilitation of and participation in the financing, encouragement or toleration of terrorist activities in the country, the Government recently prosecuted those suspected to be terrorists to serve as a deterrent to others. The national focal point on counter-terrorism was established in 2006 and inaugurated in February 2007. It is made up of agencies and departments of Government with responsibilities for counter-terrorism and coordinates the policies and operational activities of those agencies. It has also established an internal mechanism for effective and efficient cooperation and coordination, thereby facilitating intelligence-sharing and dissemination of information. The Robust Perception Management and Deradicalization programme is one of the major ongoing preventive measures employed by the law enforcement agencies, and it has proved to be very effective. The programme uses the media, faith-based organizations and non-governmental organizations to address issues relating to the radicalization of our youth and the dangers of extremism. Programmes on counter-radicalization, aimed at addressing the factors that lead to religious intolerance, extremism and terrorism, are also in place. The Nigerian Cyber Working Group was established in 2006 to protect security and critical infrastructure from cyberterrorism and other cybercrimes. Notwithstanding the strong measures we have taken to combat terrorism, we face a number of challenges, and in an effort to effectively tackle them we have been receiving technical assistance from the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to strengthen our legal framework for fighting terrorism. Nigeria has also requested to be one of the beneficiaries of the integrated technical assistance being coordinated by the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The Strategy enjoins Member States to encourage the other entities of the United Nations system to scale up cooperation and assistance in areas considered to be the softer and longer-term side of counter-terrorism — particularly in the fields of rule of law, human rights and good governance — to support sustained economic and social development. Nigeria is concerned that good brand names that have been developed over the years, that people can relate to and whose activities have little to do with fighting terrorism, could be jeopardized. While we recognize the important role that those United Nations entities could play in the fight against terrorism, this Assembly must ponder certain puzzles. Do we want to associate those United Nations entities and their services with combating terrorism? What kind of role should they be playing in combating terrorism? What should be the extent of their participation in the work of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force? The Strategy welcomes the Secretary-General’s institutionalization of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force to ensure overall coordination and coherence in the counter-terrorism efforts of the United Nations system. Nigeria supports that move and believes that the Task Force must be provided with assured and predictable resources to enable it to improve cooperation and coordination within the United Nations system on Strategy-related issues. It is in that regard that Nigeria underscores the imperative of allocating adequate resources through the regular budget to ensure the effectiveness of the Task Force. In addition, we call on all Member States to increase their voluntary contributions to boost technical assistance activities. If the United Nations system is to maximize its contribution to Strategy implementation, there is a need to develop a sustainable and coordinated United Nations effort that works more effectively and efficiently with States and other stakeholders. In that context, Nigeria believes that a mechanism should be developed to enable Member States to provide guidance to the work of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. That will also ensure that Member States take ownership of United Nations counter-terrorism activities. As we call for better coordination of the activities of United Nations entities involved in counter- terrorism by the Task Force, we notice an institutional gap in the global response to terrorism. There is no forum in which a dialogue on a wide range of counter- terrorism issues beyond the narrow security and law enforcement arena can take place among countries of different regions. We believe that cross-regional dialogue should complement the efforts of the Task Force in our search for effective strategies to counter the growing radicalization and extremism that turn young people into terrorists. Furthermore, there is no forum in which counter-terrorism experts from different capitals can gather to share experiences and open-source information and to build confidence and trust among themselves. A global anti-terrorism body is required to fill those gaps in capabilities and limited cooperation at the international level, and the Assembly may wish to give thought to such an idea. For us in Nigeria, the fight against terrorism is firmly anchored in the rule of law, respect for human rights and the commitment to the implementation of the universal instruments on terrorism. We should all hold ourselves to those high standards. It is equally imperative for the global body, the United Nations, to ensure that its counter-terrorism institutions comply with the basic standards of human rights. In order to enhance United Nations efforts and impact in that area, it may be necessary to include human rights expertise on all Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) site visits and UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch training courses. We further suggest the introduction of short-term staff exchanges between the human rights and counter-terrorism arms of the United Nations and an increase in the Counter-Terrorism Committee/CTED human rights focus, including the enumeration of those rights that are non-derogable in the fight against terrorism. In conclusion, the success of our efforts at fighting terrorism is related to our ability to successfully address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. While some delegations believe that addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism should be the focus of efforts to eradicate it, others place emphasis on the issues of good governance, democracy and human rights. In between those two positions we will find ways to promote the linkages between the Strategy and the two major United Nations initiatives that lie at the heart of efforts to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism: the Millennium Development Goals and the Alliance of Civilizations. Although the Global Strategy refers explicitly to both, it offers no guidance on how they relate in practical terms to the implementation of the Global Strategy. One of the crucial outcomes of this meeting should be to provide that missing guidance.

First, let me join other delegations in congratulating President Kerim on organizing today’s meeting. Let me also use this opportunity to thank Ambassador Gert Rosenthal in his role as facilitator in preparing the draft resolution (A/62/L.48), which we fully endorse. In the interests of time, I shall shorten my statement; the full version is being distributed. As Slovenia is a member of the European Union (EU), whose statement was delivered yesterday and with which we fully associate ourselves, allow me to make a couple of points from a national perspective and to present our national activities aimed at supporting the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Slovenia strongly condemns terrorism, and there is not and cannot be any justification for terrorism. Slovenia expresses solidarity with all countries that have been victims of terrorist attacks and also with the victims of terrorism. In that context, we welcome the symposium to be held next week in New York under the auspices of the Secretary-General. The Strategy, adopted by consensus two years ago, represents a framework in which we are operating and cooperating. It is not a stand-alone document. It should be read in conjunction with other commitments in the United Nations framework, and also through our regular reporting to the Security Council’s counter- terrorism bodies. We all realize that the implementation of the Strategy is a long-term process that should be regularly reviewed. There are no quick-fix solutions to counter the scourge of terrorism. It is clear that the main responsibility for the implementation of the Strategy lies with the Member States. We are grateful to the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force for the support it has given to Member States and the results achieved towards greater coherence and coordination of counter-terrorism activities in the United Nations system. We understand that the current capacities of the Task Force are limited and therefore call upon the Secretary-General to finalize the institutionalization of the Task Force. Allow me now to present some concrete national activities in support of the implementation of the Strategy. Slovenia is party to the relevant United Nations conventions and protocols and, in May, adopted amendments to its penal code by criminalizing acts of nuclear terrorism, which will enable us to ratify the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism before the end of this year. Under the first pillar of the plan of action, also in May, we adopted amendments to our penal code by defining incitement to acts of terrorism, as well as recruitment to and training for terrorism, as criminal offences. That will enable the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism of May 2006 and the implementation of Security Council resolution 1624 (2005). Preventing terrorism through the promotion of respect for human rights, good governance, democracy, tolerance, education and economic prosperity is the proper way to proceed. It is important from the perspective of countering radicalization and recruitment and of addressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. In that context, let me mention the role of intercultural dialogue. We are pleased that awareness of the significance of such dialogue has been raised globally and that it enjoys growing political support, involving the policies of individual countries, regional structures and, globally, the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. In June, the Euro-Mediterranean University was inaugurated, with its seat in Piran, Slovenia. Originally a Slovenian idea, it was endorsed by all Euro- Mediterranean partners. The University can contribute to understanding among people and encourage cooperation in higher education. Through a cooperation network of partner institutions and existing universities from the Euro-Mediterranean region, the University will develop postgraduate and research programmes. Under the second and third pillars of the plan of action, we are engaged through bilateral agreements and regional cooperation. So far, Slovenia has concluded bilateral agreements with 20 States on cooperation between Governments or police authorities in suppressing crime, including the fight against terrorism. Aware of the importance of regional and cross- regional cooperation, in 2007 Slovenia signed the Prüm Convention on deepening cross-border cooperation, in particular in the area of counter-terrorism, organized crime and illegal migration. Also in that vein, the Slovenian police organized a meeting of police officers from the Western Balkans involved in investigating criminal offences of terrorism at the national level. Police cooperation in preventing acts of terrorism and in counter-terrorist activities in the region is important. In the summer of 2007, Slovenia adopted a new law on the prevention on money-laundering and terrorist financing. On the basis of that law, several executive regulations were adopted, and have been in force since then, to implement the special Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force on Money-Laundering in their entirety. Under the last pillar of the plan of action, we are faced with the constant challenge of how to strike a proper balance between security and human rights in order not to lower human rights standards. We highly value the work of Mr. Scheinin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. The fight against terrorism has many effects on not only political and civil rights, but also on economic, social and cultural rights. The newly established mechanism of the Universal Periodic Review provides a new opportunity to address issues of concern in an efficient manner. It should become a means effectively to implement the findings and recommendations of independent expert procedures. Allow me to conclude by stressing that there should be no dilemma. Effective counter-terrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not and must not be conflicting; they are, rather, complementary and mutually reinforcing goals. It is also our values — respect for human rights standards and commitment to international law — that bind us in our actions in the fight against terrorism.

The adoption of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy marked a milestone in the treatment of that very complex subject by the General Assembly, the most authoritative democratic body of the United Nations system. It also represents a political agreement at the highest level to address the phenomenon of terrorism, which undermines and affects human dignity and all our societies without exception. The international community has made progress, but the horrors of terrorism continue. Fundamentalisms of every kind combine with various factors to perpetuate terrorist acts, foreign occupation, the struggle for power or natural resources, poverty, political repression, crime and drug trafficking. The militarization of the fight against terrorism seems to produce even more terrorist acts. Terrorism must be dealt with as a criminal act to be judged or prosecuted in accordance with international and national law and in the greatest respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. In implementing the Strategy, it is extremely important to provide resources and tools to States, which must work in conjunction with non-governmental organizations and the media. In particular, developing countries must have greater resources if they are to maintain administrative and justice systems and police forces that are efficient in terms of human resources and infrastructure. They must also have the resources to execute those laws, and that requires judges and prosecutors with the capacity and means. Thus, international cooperation and technical assistance must focus on those aspects and on legal extradition mechanisms. The Task Force can play a role in the international system to coordinate effectively the many international and regional agencies and bodies. The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate has rationalized its workplan and must continue to improve its role. Closer links can be established between the Task Force and the Security Council committees that are involved in the fight against terrorism. I am referring to the Security Council Committees established pursuant to resolutions 1373 (2001), 1267 (1999) and 1540 (2004). Argentina has experienced terrorism at first hand. We are firmly resolved to persevere in preventing and fighting terrorism in accordance with international law. We have ratified the 12 United Nations conventions on terrorism, and, internally, we have adopted the measures stipulated by those international instruments, such as, for example, amending our penal code by Law 26.268, adopted on 13 June 2007 to punish illegal terrorist associations and the financing of terrorism, and the National Agenda on Anti-Money-Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing under Decree 1225/2007, adopted on 11 September 2007. We are in the process of ratifying the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Even though the implementation of the Strategy is specifically a national activity, to be undertaken by States, we believe that is necessary to affirm that the main bodies of the United Nations also have an institutional responsibility to contribute effectively to eliminating international terrorism. The Security Council must aim to resolve seriously, once and for all, the complex and protracted question of the Middle East, which serves as a background for the actions of the various terrorist groups. The principal organ in ensuring international peace and security must devote all its efforts to tackling one of the greatest sources of international terrorism. For its part, the General Assembly must finally achieve a consensus to adopt the draft of the comprehensive convention against terrorism in the Sixth Committee. There are no legal arguments for not adopting the existing text of the draft and the latest compromise proposals. The positions maintained by a group of States are duly covered by the existing norms of international humanitarian law. Despite the fact that there is a comprehensive and mandatory regime established by Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and that national legislation in most countries also deems terrorism a criminal offence, there is no doubt that a comprehensive convention is needed to improve the existing situation, which would dispel any doubts concerning terrorist actions and countries or groups that protect or provide refuge to terrorist groups. Lastly, I would like to congratulate the President, and also the Ambassador of Guatemala, Gert Rosenthal, for his excellent work as facilitator of the draft resolution that will be adopted at the conclusion of this session.

First of all, I should like to begin by thanking the President for organizing this meeting, the Secretary-General for his report on the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/62/898), and the Ambassador of Guatemala, Mr. Gert Rosenthal, the facilitator for negotiating the informal consultations of the draft resolution (A/62/L.48) that will be adopted by this General Assembly. The foundations laid by the United Nations for a fight against terrorism were adopted on 8 September 2006 in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (resolution 60/288). The international community adopted specific measures to combat the scourge in a coordinated way at the national, regional and international levels. The Strategy places great importance on the respect for human rights and for the rule of law. Nicaragua welcomed the Strategy, which provides a global response to a global problem. Its implementation should be a priority for all States. Nicaragua vigorously and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, irrespective of its motivations, or by whom or where it is committed, including State terrorism. Given that its effects transcend national boundaries, we are firmly resolved to cooperate bilaterally, regionally and internationally to prevent and eliminate this scourge. Terrorist acts are the clearest violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, and cannot be justified in any way. Terrorism has a direct impact on the enjoyment of human rights, especially the right to life, freedom and the physical integrity of people. It is an attack on democracy, the rule of law and the values, principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and other international bodies. Terrorism destabilizes Governments, undermines civil society and threatens peace and international security. Nicaragua is opposed to any attempt to link terrorism to a specific religion, civilization, culture, value system or ethnic group. My delegation believes that we must tackle the root causes of terrorism and, in that regard, eradicate the many factors that fuel terrorism, starting with the elimination of poverty, hunger, racism, unresolved conflicts and double standards in the application of international law. We also believe that we must make a clear distinction between terrorist acts and the legitimate struggle of peoples for self-determination. Likewise, we resolutely call for the conclusion of negotiations on the comprehensive convention. It would be appropriate to consider holding a high-level conference under the auspices of the United Nations that would provide the opportunity to rectify the existing shortcomings and to agree on a definition of terrorism, which would clearly speed up concluding the convention. The legislative base for the fight against terrorism must also be strengthened, fostering support for international conventions in that area. Nicaragua is party to 11 of the 13 conventions of the United Nations system in the fight against terrorism and to two conventions of the inter-American system. In Nicaragua’s new penal code, which came into force on 9 July 2008, we categorize the crimes of terrorism, the financing of terrorism, hostage-taking and inciting, planning and conspiring to commit terrorist acts. Nicaragua established a national committee to implement the Central American plan for comprehensive cooperation to prevent and counter terrorism and related activities and has adopted a set of measures in compliance with the plan. Through its intelligence organs, Nicaragua has worked for the adoption of cooperation agreements with counterparts in the other countries with which it maintains a network for the exchange of information and cooperation on terrorism and organized crime. The immigration and foreign visitors directorate of my country has an electronic database which is updated with information provided by the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, in compliance with resolution 1267 (1999), on restrictions on entry into the country of persons considered terrorists or who belong to entities associated with the Taliban or Al-Qaida. We wish to stress the crucial role of the General Assembly in the fight against terrorism as the only body of the United Nations that enjoys universal membership. The adoption today by consensus of draft resolution A/62/L.48, on the review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy will be a demonstration of the unity of the international community in its struggle against terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations.

Today we have a unique opportunity to review the multiple aspects of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. This forum also presents an opportunity to continue strengthening international cooperation in the implementation of this universal document and to address related outstanding issues. There are several lessons that can be drawn from such an intense consideration of views and ideas. We are convinced that by adopting the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the General Assembly has made a concrete contribution towards combating terrorism in a coordinated manner at the national, regional and international levels. My delegation believes that beyond the immediate aspect of combating terrorism, any country should also find ways to resolve the root causes of terrorism. Among those causes, extreme poverty, an unjust social system, corruption, violations of human rights and discrimination can easily be cited. Regional conflicts are also considered to provide suitable tools for acts of terrorism and for the operations of terrorist organizations. My country joined the anti-terrorism coalition at its inception and has made a significant contribution to its activities. As early as December 1998, a presidential decree established the Anti-Terrorism Centre under the Security Service of Ukraine, whose primary responsibility is to coordinate the efforts of the executive authorities in the prevention and interdiction of terrorist acts against State officials, facilities crucial to public welfare and particularly hazardous facilities that could threaten the life and health of individuals. Nowadays, Ukraine is fully implementing all the agreed measures to combat and prevent terrorism identified in the Strategy. In 2008, Ukraine adopted the programme on counter-terrorism measures for 2008 to 2010 in order to establish preventive measures, to improve the protection of individuals and preserve their health, to strengthen civil security, to improve the protection of particularly important sites and to prevent any manifestation of terrorism in our country. Our position on the subject of international terrorism is based on an ethical principle: the unequivocal condemnation of all acts, methods and practices of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever, by whomever and for whatever reason they may be committed. Consequently, Ukraine’s legal system enables it to prevent, prosecute and suppress terrorism and to punish anyone who commits or is associated with terrorist acts. For instance, article 258, the terrorist act of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, establishes liability not only for the direct perpetration of a terrorist act or preparations for such an act, but also for organizational, material or other assistance for the activities of a terrorist organization. Our special agencies have developed precautionary measures to prevent the use of the Ukrainian segment of the Internet by terrorist organizations for the purpose of disseminating propaganda by drawing up a list of features whose presence or absence points to the use of Internet channels for illicit purposes and by establishing legal mechanisms to enable appropriate search operations. My delegation is of the view that implementation of the principles and norms derived from various branches of international law provides a powerful tool in the prevention and punishment of terrorist acts. For that reason, all 13 international anti-terrorism treaties have been ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament during the last five years. No strategy against terrorism can be effective unless it is based on international cooperation and coordination. On the basis of the Strategy and Security Council resolutions, the Government of Ukraine is considering various forms of involvement in European and other international arrangements to combat terrorism and to develop cooperation with the law enforcement agencies and special services of other countries. As part of the international cooperation under the bilateral and multilateral treaties entered into by Ukraine, work on the exchange of information relating to the prevention of terrorism in conjunction with foreign law enforcement agencies, special services and international organizations working to combat international terrorism has been intensified with a view to preventing the entry into Ukrainian territory of individuals involved in the activities of international terrorist and religious extremist organizations. In that connection, in 2008 the security service of Ukraine organized and conducted working meetings with representatives of special services and law enforcement agencies of 12 countries. Ukraine has also concluded more than 88 protocols and 75 interdepartmental agreements in which priority attention is focused on issues of combating international terrorism. As an active member of the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development, Ukraine, together with other members of this regional organization, is continuing the implementation of two projects in the area of counter-terrorism and border security — the project on establishing the GUAM virtual centre for combating terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking and other dangerous types of crimes, and the project on the creation of the GUAM Inter-State Information Management System — the IIMS. The virtual centre serves as a focal point for online communication, analysis and exchange of operational information on law enforcement activities, as well as facilitation of joint operations and coordination of major crime investigations. The IIMS is an information backup and support system that enables the relevant authorities in our countries to exchange data and other information through a protected satellite communications channel. At the governmental level, we support international anti-terrorist efforts, in particular by participating in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Last autumn in Ukraine, we organized the Third International Forum on Counteraction Measures to Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, with the participation of civil society, scholars and non-governmental organizations. Terrorism is not only a threat to all societies, but also an attack on the values that define the international community: the rule of law, respect for human rights, the protection of civilians, intercultural faith and tolerance. Counter-terrorism efforts can best succeed if they are carried out on all fronts and in all countries. We believe that the adoption of the draft resolution on the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy today, during the current session of the General Assembly, would be a starting point for assessing the counter-terrorism measures taken by each State.

We would like to thank you, Sir, for chairing this important meeting. As we have said on many occasions, the effective elimination of international terrorism is one of the greatest challenges facing the international community in the twenty-first century. We believe that the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is an important component of that vital battle, and we are very happy at this opportunity to report on Palau’s progress in implementing the Strategy. We would like to thank the Secretary-General for his extensive report detailing the steps taken by the international community to implement the Strategy (A/62/898) and to thank Ambassador Rosenthal for his impressive efforts in facilitating the negotiations on the draft resolution that we hope to adopt today. Palau welcomes the reaffirmation by the General Assembly of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Palau, like many other small countries, is committed to playing an active and aggressive role in the global counter-terrorism effort. We recognize not only that international terrorism is a threat to major Powers such as the United States, the European Union and the Russian Federation, but also that it threatens all States, no matter what their size. Moreover, as a small State largely dependent on tourism for the success of our economy, we recognize that even a single terrorist attack on our soil may be one too many, as it would have a significant negative effect on our developing economy. For those reasons, Palau has made a serious commitment to combating terrorism. We have demonstrated that commitment by becoming a State party to 12 counter-terrorism conventions recommended by the Secretary-General. We have fulfilled our reporting requirements under Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001), 1540 (2004) and 1624 (2005). Moreover, we have taken steps to fulfil the obligations set out in those resolutions, including passing legislation aimed at deterring and stopping money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. Yet, we know that more can and must be done. We know that, if our ability to fight terrorism is to be sustainable, we need to build our local capacity, and so we welcome the assistance of the international community in this fight. To that end, we have actively and extensively engaged with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) in an effort to develop additional capacity. Regrettably, we cannot say that CTED has been equal to the task. While we have had numerous exchanges of e-mails and calls as well as many meetings, the result has been the same: lots of talk, but no action. For us, the inability to obtain the capacity we seek is not a theoretical problem; it is real and, if left unresolved, may pose a threat to our very ability to develop our economy. Owing to our limited capacity, we have found it very difficult to take the full range of actions that we would like to take against the pernicious threat posed by international terrorism. I know that Palau is not alone in that situation. Many small States have the desire but not the resources to take the aggressive actions that they would like to take against international terrorism. Everyone in this Hall would agree that, so long as any State is in danger, we are all in danger. We must continue to understand that terrorists who attack civilians around the world often funnel their money through distant banking sectors and train in equally distant places. Terrorism is a global problem and must be addressed as such. As long as some countries are unable to fight terrorism effectively, no country in the world will be wholly safe from such deplorable behaviour. We therefore wholly support the efforts undertaken to develop effective capacity-building assistance in a wide variety of areas. From promoting the rule of law and human rights to developing effective strategies, dealing with such long-term problems as money-laundering and the financing of terrorism, and improving the protection of soft targets — Palau supports all those measures. Despite the progress that the international community has made, there remains a lot of room for improvement. In particular, Palau believes that two important issues have been overlooked. First, we note that much of the Strategy refers to — if not depends on — the work of various United Nations partner agencies and the assistance that they offer to countries seeking to develop adequate capacity. However, gaining access to those agencies is not always possible for small nations such as Palau. While partner agencies’ expertise and willingness to provide support are a good start, membership in those organizations is not universal. In particular, many small States find joining them to be out of reach because of the financial burden that such membership entails. For example, Palau has examined the possibility of becoming a member of INTERPOL, an organization whose efforts are critical to fighting terrorism effectively and whose efforts are even noted in the Secretary-General’s report. However, the cost of membership in INTERPOL is prohibitive, so we remain unable to gain access to its expertise and resources. While we understand the need to avoid reinventing the wheel in developing technical assistance, we hope that our colleagues will take note of the difficulties faced by small developing States and that they will find a way to make technical assistance available to all in that critical area. Secondly, as we have said before, we would like to note that the United Nations needs to take an active role in helping States carry out the legal obligations that they have undertaken. In the past, much of the attention devoted by the United Nations to capacity- building has focused on providing assistance to States in drafting legislation or regulations or in compiling a list of best practices in a particular area. While that is an excellent and necessary first step, it is not sufficient to develop the local capacity needed to fight terrorism effectively. We must admit that the best-designed legislation is meaningless unless States have adequate resources to act effectively and competently in enforcing it. For example, in the area of money-laundering and the financing of terrorism, Palau has enacted legislation and accompanying regulations that are designed to comply with all applicable international standards. However, we find our capacity to act in that area to be severely hampered by our inability to adequately fund and staff the financial intelligence unit with people who are qualified and able to work effectively in that very specialized area. In order to forge an effective counter-terrorism strategy, the international community must find a way to help smaller States such as Palau, which have the desire but lack the resources to develop the capacity to take effective action against terrorism. Once again, we express the hope that our colleagues will take note of the unique challenges faced by small developing States and that they will, together with us, find a way to make technical assistance available to all in that critical area. We must think about ways in which that can be accomplished. One possibility is to establish a trust fund that would allow small States to develop effective counter- terrorism initiatives and to pay dues to the vital organizations that assist them. Despite the deficiencies that we have identified, we are encouraged by the amount of progress that we, as the international community, have made in the intervening two years. We hope that the United Nations will be able to take further action in implementing the Counter-Terrorism Strategy, in particular by helping small States to meet their obligations not only in word but also, and more important, in deed. Palau stands ready to do all that we can to support that effort.

It is an honour to participate in this review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted under resolution 60/288. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala for his facilitation of the informal consultations that preceded this review. At the outset, my delegation wishes to reiterate its previously stated position that acts of terrorism should be condemned unequivocally. We continue to pledge our support for the global campaign against terrorism within the framework of the United Nations and its structures. Essentially, this review is aimed at assessing what Member States have done in the implementation of the Global Strategy, and my delegation would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few important steps that the Government of South Africa has taken. In developing its anti-terrorism strategy, the Government of South Africa was clear that it would not only address the symptoms of the problem, but would also address the causes to ensure that, as far as possible, there are no recurrences. That approach was evident in the manner in which our security and law enforcement services combated terrorism in the mid-1990s within our territory. South Africa’s anti-terrorism strategy is also premised on the need to guarantee due process. The Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorism and Related Activities Act was adopted in 2004 with that in mind. That piece of legislation not only allows the security and law enforcement services to implement effective measures to combat terrorism, but also denies terrorists the ability to procure material and human resources. Furthermore, that legislation, together with our Constitution and Bill of Rights, also guarantees certain basic rights for those suspected of being involved in terrorism. South Africa is therefore implementing the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in a manner consistent with international law, and even our courts have weighed in to ensure that when the South African Government cooperates with other Governments, it insists upon respect for human rights. The Government of South Africa has continuously strived to improve the capacity of its security and law enforcement services and its prosecuting authority to combat serious crimes, including terrorism. Extensive capacity-building programmes have been implemented in the field of forensics, financial investigations and tactical response capabilities. Joint programmes with security and law enforcement services in the Southern African subregion have ensured skills development for all participants and have denied terrorists and organized crime groups access to weapons and safe havens. In the international arena, South Africa is also a party to the 13 universal conventions on terrorism and has taken concrete steps to include the provisions of those conventions in national legislation. South Africa’s commitment to strengthen the international efforts to combat terrorism was further demonstrated when it invited the Security Council’s Counter- Terrorism Committee to conduct a country visit during June 2008. That was an opportunity for the Government of South Africa to detail its anti-terrorism strategy to the United Nations experts, and it also afforded us the opportunity to learn from best practices elsewhere in the world. Noteworthy in that regard is that South Africa is the first country to be visited that agreed to the inclusion of a human rights expert in the Counter-Terrorism Committee delegation. That was important, as it is the firm position of the Government of South Africa that the observance of human rights is the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism. South Africa also hosted the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, which conducted a mutual evaluation inspection visit to assess South Africa’s implementation of the Task Force’s recommendations, including those dealing with the combating of the financing of terrorism. South Africa has also been actively participating in the counter- terrorism initiatives of the African Union. Additionally, high-level Government representatives have been participating in international events hosted by other Member States aimed at the implementation of the Strategy. I would be remiss if I did not refer to the work of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The Secretariat, in particular Mr. Robert Orr and his team, have — notwithstanding certain constraints — done sterling work in bringing about greater cohesion within the United Nations system regarding counter-terrorism activities. However, much still needs to be done, and we would urge greater interaction between the working groups of the Task Force and Member States. Resolution 60/288 provided for the institutionalization of the Task Force, and very little progress has been made since then. My delegation therefore supports the call for the Secretary-General to make the necessary arrangements to carry out that institutionalization, and we are hopeful that concrete and practical steps will have been taken prior to the next review of the Strategy. The Government of South Africa is acutely aware of the fact that much still needs to be done at domestic and international levels to improve responses to and address the causes of terrorism. We remain committed to working with the international community to eradicate the scourge of terrorism in a comprehensive and non-selective manner. The Government of South Africa therefore re-commits itself to continue to implement the Strategy.

I would like first to thank Mr. Ban Ki-moon for his outstanding report and the President of the Assembly for having organized this important meeting. I should also like to thank Mr. Gert Rosenthal, the Permanent Representative of Guatemala, who guided the discussions preceding this meeting. I would like to affirm the full support of my delegation for the statements made by the representatives of Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Kuwait on behalf of the Arab Group and Guinea on behalf of the African Group. Today’s meeting is devoted to the consideration of the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy within the framework of previous resolutions, in particular 60/288, and to the contents of the report of the Secretary-General. The resolution I just cited states that the Strategy is based on four pillars: measures to eliminate the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism; measures to combat and to eliminate terrorism; expanding the means available to States to prevent and combat terrorism and strengthening the role played to that end by the United Nations; and measures to guarantee respect for human rights and the primacy of law as the fundamental basis for the anti-terrorist struggle. The implementation of all the pillars is without a doubt a top priority in all our legal, moral and religious commitments. They must be given absolute priority in our work. My country, while recognizing the progress made and the efforts undertaken to strengthen the implementation of all measures set out in the Strategy, believes that those efforts continue to fall short of the hopes and objectives embodied in it. We continue to await practical measures to ensure the Strategy’s implementation, in particular with regard to the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. Our unanimous rejection of any justification for terrorism must not mean that we should fail to consider its root causes objectively. The occupation and demonization of civilizations and cultures, the denial of the legitimacy of resistance, and double standards in implementing the resolutions of international legitimacy all give rise to tensions, violence and counter-violence. The need for such legitimacy cannot be met through selective initiatives that focus on some victims and exclude others. In that regard, I should like to draw the attention of members to the symposium on the victims of terrorism to be held at United Nations Headquarters at the initiative of the Secretary-General. Sympathy for the victims of terrorism must not make us ignore the victims of State terrorism and practices that violate all the principles of international humanitarian law. The fight against terrorism also requires more comprehensive and effective measures at the national and international levels. Without going into detail, we wish to express our belief that preventing the financing of terrorism requires particular attention and more comprehensive and effective measures. My country believes that General Assembly resolution 60/43 on measures to eliminate international terrorism and all measures taken at the national and international levels to directly or indirectly impede the financing of terrorism — in particular when it is carried out by organizations involved in illegal activity such as, inter alia, trafficking in drugs or weapons, racketeering and laundering money that can be used for terrorist acts — must be fully strengthened and implemented at the national, international and global levels in a spirit of sincerity and effectiveness. We believe that the United Nations, in particular the General Assembly, must accord particular attention to the issue of the financing of terrorism and undertake stricter measures to control the movement and utilization of capital through the efforts of transparent financial institutions committed to eradicating that phenomenon. That would be a crucial element in the maintenance of international peace and security. More specifically, banking practices in certain countries and free zones must be taken into account. The measure set out in the Strategy regarding the refusal of asylum should be clarified in the spirit of the noble humanitarian objectives that inspired the creation of the right to asylum. We must also make greater efforts to strengthen the capacities of States to combat and eradicate terrorism and to fulfil international commitments in a transparent manner, which would be an essential step in eradicating the phenomenon of terrorism as well as its symptoms and causes. For those reasons, my country has endorsed the various positions condemning terrorism and has acceded to all international and regional instruments and arrangements to combat that scourge. We shall continue to support the implementation of all measures set out in the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We call once again for the conclusion of the negotiations on a draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism and for the holding of a special session of the General Assembly devoted to the study of terrorism and to finding a clear definition for it. My country is prepared to support all efforts of the international community to eradicate terrorism and to create a world of peace and security for all peoples.

I should like at the outset to express my delegation’s appreciation to President Kerim for convening this meeting to review the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. I should also like to express, through the presidency, my delegation’s appreciation to Ambassador Rosenthal, Permanent Representative of Guatemala, for his tireless work as facilitator of the draft resolution on the review of the Strategy. The negotiations on the draft resolution were most demanding, but Ambassador Rosenthal’s patience and his understanding of the complexity of the matter were no doubt factors contributing to the final outcome of the draft resolution. I wish to align my delegation with the statement made by the representative of Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Two years have passed since we adopted resolution 60/288, on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. After much envelope- pushing and boundary-stretching, we adopted the resolution by consensus. At least two clear points emerged from the resolution. First, the Strategy prescribed a course of action for all States Members of the United Nations without properly and concisely defining the concept of terrorism. That subject matter, as we know, has been around the proverbial block many times, with differing views as to what the definition of terrorism should be. So that the Strategy could be born, the resolution therefore skirted the issue. Secondly, the Strategy brought other players into the counter-terrorism effort. Terrorism has long been accepted as a “high politics” issue, interlinked with a country’s sovereignty and independence. But the Strategy also prescribed that Member States utilize the vast network of civil society in order to combat terrorism and find a solution for that global problem. The adoption of the resolution in no way means that the Strategy is a be-all and end-all in terms of counter-terrorism measures. Rather, the term “living document” was used to denote that the Strategy was not cast in stone but was to be reviewed and updated, as the case might be. This year, the Strategy is being taken off the mantelpiece and examined for the first time. Therefore, it is doubly important that we, as Member States, provide a scorecard of the work that has been undertaken during the two years since the Strategy was adopted. The establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force by the Secretary-General in 2005 was an attempt to ensure coordinated and coherent efforts across the United Nations system to counter terrorism. It includes representatives of various United Nations departments, specialized agencies, international organizations and the World Bank. The adoption of the Strategy in 2006 provided greater impetus for the work of the Task Force, including towards its institutionalization. From the very beginning, Malaysia has maintained the view that the Task Force should be part of the Secretariat and accountable to Member States. In that connection, the process of institutionalizing the Task Force should take place with the full participation of and in consultation with Member States. Among the issues that need to be looked into is the fate of the nine unmandated working groups that were established by the Task Force. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy reaffirmed the efforts undertaken by Malaysia in counter-terrorism. For 40 years, beginning in 1948, Malaysia waged a silent but effective war against terrorism, guided by the principle of winning the people’s hearts and minds and thereby closing off terrorist support. In 1989, Malaysia won its battle against those terrorists, who had been plotting since our independence in 1957 to negate Malaysia’s sovereignty. Despite the good progress made on counter- terrorism in our country, we continue to be mindful that terrorism could return to plague us if we let our guard down. In that regard, we remain of the view that it is important for Member States to continue to exchange information, including experiences on counter-terrorism efforts. Malaysia has gained much experience and many lessons from our counter- terrorism efforts, which we are willing to share with other Member States in our effort to fight the scourge of terrorism. Malaysia now plays host to the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism, which provides counter-terrorism training and capacity-building to enforcement and security officials in the South-East Asian region. Between 2006 and 2008, a total of 30 courses were conducted by the Centre, including on issues such as terrorism financing, fraudulent travel documents, maritime security, anti-terrorism laws, management of mass casualties and mass transit security. Participants include those from South-East Asia and outside the region. Malaysia continues to undertake other measures in our counter-terrorism efforts. The advent of the information and communication age brings with it a new form of terrorism, which has permeated many aspects of our lives. With the ever-increasing dependence on information and communication technology, terrorists have taken advantage of the cyberage to spread their destructive tentacles. Unless that fact is addressed, particularly at its core, it could have deeply catastrophic effects. In view of that new form of terrorism and the need to address it quickly, Malaysia initiated the International Multilateral Partnership against Cyber-Terrorism (IMPACT), dedicated to bringing together Governments, industry leaders and cybersecurity experts to enhance the global community’s capacity to prevent, defend and respond to cyberthreats. IMPACT is the first public-private initiative against cyberterrorism. Malaysia remains committed in its fight against terrorism and will continue to place emphasis on counter-terrorism efforts. The Anti-Money-Laundering Amendment Act of Malaysia, which came into force in 2007, facilitated Malaysia’s obligations under the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and allowed us to ratify the Convention. Malaysia has also ratified the Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection and is thus now a party to nine of the 13 international instruments on terrorism. We continue to take the necessary measures to ensure that Malaysia is on track to accede to all the international instruments on terrorism. Terrorism is a plague that continues to evolve over time and space, taking on many forms and shapes. Continuous attention must be paid to it, as to any disease, through various strategies to ensure that it remains checked at all times. In our continued quest to address that scourge, including through the review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, we should be mindful that the Strategy is not static. It should continue to evolve. As such, the Strategy should continue to be a living document, a work in progress. There are gaps in its formulation that remain to be filled, and much work still needs to be done. The international community must apply itself, and it must apply itself diligently, to that task. Otherwise, we risk prescribing the wrong medication for an improperly diagnosed disease.