S/PV.7316 Security Council

I wish to warmly welcome the Secretary-General, Ministers and other representatives present in the Security Council Chamber. There can be no doubt of the crucial importance of the global effort to counter terrorism. At a number of international meetings Australia has participated in over the past two weeks — the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, the East Asia Summit and the Group of 20 meeting  — all participants expressed grave concern about the threat posed by terrorism and by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or Daesh, in particular. Today’s meeting provides the international community an important opportunity to emphasize its determination to act against this threat. In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine and Yemen to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, to participate in this meeting. The number of representatives wishing to contribute to this debate is a statement in and of itself on the importance of the matter under discussion. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2014/787, which contains the text of a letter dated 4 November 2014 from the Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General transmitting a concept note on the item under consideration. I now give the floor to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

Thank you, Madam President, for convening this timely high-level debate. Let me begin by recognizing the global leadership of Australia, which this month successfully chaired the Group of 20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia, in which I had the honour of participating, and is also presiding over the Security Council this month. Therefore, this month Australia is leading on all the issues: peace and security, economic development and human rights. I welcome the Council’s increased attention to the growing threat to international peace and security posed by terrorism and violent extremism. Less than two months ago, this body adopted resolution 2178 (2014), which calls for stronger international efforts to address the challenge of foreign terrorist fighters. That followed closely on the heels of resolution 2170 (2014), adopted in August under the presidency of the United Kingdom. I commend the Council for its unity of purpose. Despite strengthened efforts to combat the threat, the number of foreign terrorist fighters in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq has grown to over 15,000 from more than 80 countries. In addition, terrorist groups spurred by violent extremist ideologies, such as Daesh, the Al-Nusra Front, Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, continue to carry out brutal acts and cause profound suffering. Millions live under the control of such groups. Technology and globalization have made it easier for them to cause disproportionate harm, exploit narratives and profit from illicit financing. Daesh, for example, has been illegally trading in oil. We are increasingly seeing terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational crime grow in intensity and feed off each other. The international community and the United Nations must ensure the full implementation of our many tools for action, including Security Council resolutions and the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. Since the adoption of resolution 2178 (2014), we have taken a number of specific steps. First, the Al-Qaida Monitoring Team provided an oral briefing to the Council’s relevant Committee on the foreign terrorist fighters threat. That will be followed by a report in March 2015. Secondly, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) has prepared a preliminary analysis of the principal capacity gaps in Member States’ implementation of resolution 2178 (2014). Thirdly, in order to address those gaps, the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) has established a United Nations coordination mechanism to mobilize action to support the needs of Member States. Fourthly, the United Nations Counter- Terrorism Centre has initiated a United Nations system- wide programme on foreign terrorist fighters to develop inter-agency projects to assist Member States. Two major projects have been launched. The Centre is helping Member States analyse the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon and develop policy responses. I encourage all Member States to participate in this project, particularly those countries most severely affected. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is also working to strengthen the legal and criminal justice capacity of Middle East and North African countries to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. Resolution 2178 (2014) also recognizes that violent extremism poses a broader threat to international peace and security, affecting political stability, national cohesion and the very foundations of some Member States. The Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force is stepping up efforts to assist Member States in addressing the multidimensional challenges of extremist ideologies and violent extremism. That includes a concrete follow-up programme to an international conference convened in Geneva last year by the CTITF office to encourage States to implement practical measures to counter violent extremism, as prescribed in pillar I of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. I know that CTED, a member of the CTITF, is also looking at that challenge on behalf of the Council. Ultimately, violent extremism is a multidimensional challenge that needs to be effectively addressed at the grassroots level. We are therefore examining how best to strengthen the counter-terrorism capabilities of United Nations special political missions, peacekeeping operations and United Nations country teams. This will be among the areas for review under the new High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations. The threat of foreign terrorist fighters and the scourge of violent extremism are not just security challenges, they are also political and development challenges affecting the stability and social fabric of communities, countries and regions. We must continue to think more deeply about the fundamental conditions that allow extremism to thrive. Looking at these challenges solely through a military lens has shown its limits. People need equality and opportunity in their lives. They need to feel included by their Governments and trust from their leaders. As we work together to address the challenge, we must also strive to avoid responses to terrorism that are carried out in a way that exacerbates the problem, such as when efforts are not sufficiently targeted and entire communities feel victimized by human rights abuses committed in the name of counter-terrorism. Such abuses are not only immoral, they are counterproductive. Through our collective efforts, we must ensure that all counter-terrorism actions and policies are consistent with international human rights and humanitarian laws. This rights-centred approach to counter-terrorism must be up-front in our planning, not merely an afterthought. I cannot stress this strongly enough. I remain fully committed to working with the Security Council to ensure that we effectively respond to this challenge in a comprehensive manner.

I thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and for his leadership on the essential role that the United Nations is playing in the international effort to address terrorism. We are extremely grateful. I now give the floor to Ambassador Quinlan in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011), concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities.

When I last briefed the Council as Chair of the Al-Qaida Committee in May (see S/PV.7184), I spoke about the threat arising from an increasing range of heterogeneous Al-Qaida-linked or splinter groups. Since May we have all witnessed the dramatic shift in that threat, with the brutal extremism and rapid territorial gains of two groups on the Al-Qaida sanctions list, namely, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Al-Nusra Front (ANF). The Council responded on 15 August by adopting resolution 2170 (2014), which emphasizes the role of the Al-Qaida sanctions regime in tackling the threat posed by ISIL and ANF and called on States to strengthen measures to counter funding and recruitment for those groups. In that resolution, the Council directed the Al-Qaida Sanctions Monitoring Team to submit to the Committee in mid-November a report on the threat, including to the region, posed by ISIL and ANF, their sources of arms, funding, recruitment and demographics, and to recommend additional action to address the threat. In its report (see S/2014/815), the Monitoring Team notes that the threat from those groups is not new: ISIL evolved from Al-Qaida in Iraq to emerge today as a splinter group of Al-Qaida, while the ANF remains a formal Al-Qaida affiliate. Both groups originated from terrorist networks founded by veterans of previous Al-Qaida-related groups in Afghanistan and elsewhere during the 1990s. Differences relating to leadership emerged in 2013, with the Al-Qaida core and ANF formally disassociating itself from ISIL and its leader, Al-Baghdadi, in February 2014; but both groups continued to subscribe to the underlying goals of Al-Qaida, promoting extremism and seeking to change the existing political order in the Middle East through terrorist violence to establish a State based on a widely repudiated misinterpretation of religion and to expel foreign influence. But while the threat is not new, the Monitoring Team assessed that the scale of the threat was qualitatively and quantitatively different, because of the nexus between funding and the groups’ control over population and territory, and the thousands of foreign terrorist fighters that have joined them. Both groups pose an immediate threat to the population in territories they have seized and where they operate, as well as in neighbouring territories. Both groups have a track record of summary killings, rape and sexual violence, trafficking in women and children, targeting humanitarian workers and kidnapping and murdering hostages for income or political messaging. Their presence fundamentally complicates efforts to forge political order in Iraq and Syria, and aggravates and intensifies existing armed violence. Their extreme ideology exacerbates sectarian tensions, generating further tension in the region, while their campaign against minorities has altered the demography of Iraq and Syria. Globally, the Monitoring Team found the threat derived from three strands: first, the large and diverse networks of foreign terrorist fighters, numbering over 15,000 from more than 80 countries and who already threaten a range of States; secondly, the power of ISIL and the Nusra Front’s toxic ideology and propaganda, which has set a new standard for Al-Qaida in disseminating its message; and, thirdly, their operational innovation, which could create a mobile, transnational cadre of expert terrorists who can combine terrorist, guerrilla and conventional tactics. Those three strands carry associated risks. As we have seen with previous Al-Qaida veterans, there is a high risk that these battle-hardened, radicalized recruits will transfer their skills and threaten peace and security in other countries in years to come. ISIL’s propaganda is produced in greater volumes and with greater frequency than before, and has been modernized and digitalized, making it globally available with the potential to sustain a new wave of Al-Qaida movement activity. The Monitoring Team found that both ISIL and ANF had seized military assets from conventional armies, captured, diverted and traded arms with other opposition groups and benefitted from an extensive informal regional economy in arms smuggling. ISIL is particularly well armed, having seized extensive supplies of heavy weapons from the Government of Iraq, including man-portable air defence systems and high mobility multipurpose military vehicles, while the Nusra Front is more dependent on continuing fresh supplies of weapons and ammunition. Both are sophisticated in their use of improvised explosive devices and explosive remnants of war. Similarly, on finances, the Monitoring Team found that ISIL had been able to seize considerable assets in both Iraq and Syria and continued to benefit from a substantial, continuing revenue flow from a range of sources, including the sale of oil, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and — to a lesser extent today — donations. The bulk of ISIL’s funds appear to come from its control of oil fields in Iraq and Syria, which it sells and smuggles predominantly through tanker trucks and long-established smuggling networks, which the Monitoring Team assessed could raise revenue ranging from $846,000 to $1,645,000 per day. Both ISIL and the Nusra Front exploit civilian populations, extracting payments from those who pass through, conduct business in or live in areas under their control, and raising revenue through the sale of stolen goods. There is evidence that ISIL encourages the looting and smuggling of antiquities from Iraq and Syria and generates revenue by taxing looters. However, ANF lacks the same range and depth of resources and appears to rely more on external donations and kidnapping for ransom. The funds generated from those illegal activities are used by groups to support their recruitment efforts and strengthen their operational capability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks. In terms of ISIL and Nusra Front recruits, the Team identified three main sources: foreign terrorist fighters, local Iraqis and Syrians, and new local affiliates, ranging from militia and ex-Baathists who had made tactical alliances with ISIL. Recruits are drawn in through Internet-based platforms, personal contact and persuasion, or in some cases through prison-based networks. Despite the sharp growth in foreign terrorist fighters in the last three years, the Monitoring Team found no specific typology for a foreign terrorist fighter, but more data was emerging. What can be said is that this new wave tends to be younger, more diverse and digital-savvy, which in turn generates fresh social and operational networks that are more transnational. Fighters came from over 80 countries, with large groupings from the Maghreb and the Middle East, along with Europe and Central Asia. There was also evidence of a significant presence of dual nationals with European passports. As directed in resolution 2170 (2014), adopted in August, the Monitoring Team has made a number of detailed recommendations, which the Al-Qaida Committee is now considering. The Monitoring Team recommends that the Committee promote fuller implementation and greater use of the existing Al-Qaida sanctions regime by encouraging States to identify more designations to the Committee relevant to ISIL and ANF and encouraging the availability of technical assistance and capacity-building to address gaps in implementation, in collaboration with the Counter- Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate. The Monitoring Team also recommends a number of measures requiring Council action, designed not only to stem the flow of funds to ISIL and ANF from the sale of oil from territory they control, but also to tackle potential revenue streams, such as from looted antiquities, and to prevent possible avenues for resupply in ISIL- and ANF-controlled territory by banning flights to or from such territory. The Team also recommends a specific focus on heightened vigilance in the banking sector against ISIL and ANF. Should such measures be adopted, the Team also recommends that the Committee assess the impact of such measures after six months to ensure that they affect only their target. Lastly, the Monitoring Team recommends that Member States use INTERPOL’s network and tools, such as the transnational fighters database, to share information on known and suspected foreign terrorist fighters, and highlights the need for more concerted multilateral and national action to address the toxic ideas and imagery promoted by ISIL, ANF and other groups within the Al-Qaida movement. Effectively implemented, well-targeted Al-Qaida sanctions can make a real contribution to disrupting ISIL and ANF and inhibiting their international network of recruits and facilitators. But sanctions alone are clearly not sufficient; a comprehensive approach is needed that properly integrates United Nations strategies with multilateral and national action and incorporates strategic communication to counter the terrorist narrative.

I thank Mr. Quinlan for his comprehensive briefing. I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Raimonda Murmokaitė in her capacity as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism.

I would like to start by thanking the Australian presidency for providing me with this timely and very important opportunity to brief the Security Council on the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s efforts pursuant to resolution 2178 (2014). I recall that the Committee, with the support of its Executive Directorate (CTED), is mandated by that resolution to identify gaps in Member States’ capacities to implement resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005) that may hinder States’ ability to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters; identify good practices in States’ implementation efforts; and facilitate the necessary technical assistance to fill implementation gaps. While implementing its mandate, the Committee, with the support of CTED, has prepared a preliminary analysis of the principal implementation gaps. This non-State-specific analysis will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/2014/807. Allow me to highlight some of the key findings of this analysis. With regard to the legal framework. States must determine whether their laws criminalize specific acts related to foreign terrorist fighters, in accordance with paragraph 6 of resolution 2178 (2014). Our preliminary analysis indicates that, although many States have introduced, pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), comprehensive legislation that could be transposed to meet the challenges of the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, others do not have adequate legislation in this respect. Some States, for example, do not yet adequately criminalize the broad range of preparatory acts related to the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, including acts aimed at facilitating the travel of foreign terrorist fighters, as well as the travel of such fighters through their territories in transit for the purpose of committing terrorist acts in other States. It is also evident that bringing foreign terrorist fighters to justice faces significant practical challenges. Many States lack the capacity needed to ensure that individuals participating in activities related to the flow of foreign terrorist fighters are brought to justice through effective prosecution in accordance with resolutions 1373 (2001) and 2178 (2014). Among other things, the Committee’s ongoing dialogue with States has revealed difficulties in obtaining evidence from other countries  — whether of origin, transit or destination — and has shown that few foreign terrorist fighters reveal their plans before leaving. International judicial cooperation on the matter needs to be stepped up and made more effective. Gaps also continue to exist in arrangements and mechanisms relating to extradition. On the law enforcement side, resolution 1373 (2001) requires States to take the necessary steps to prevent the commission of terrorist acts. Many States, however, lack adequate capacities to monitor communications through special investigative techniques and other lawful methods in implementing this preventive aspect. Gaps exist also in the international exchange of information by law enforcement and intelligence agencies aimed at preventing the commission of terrorist acts and bringing terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters, to justice, including by the provision of early warning to other States by exchange of information. This form of information exchange can be vital to countering the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters and needs to be enhanced. Significant gaps remain in Member States’ implementation of the border-control provisions of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005). The lack of relevant information and analytical capability at border crossings hampers States’ ability to detect and prevent the movement of foreign terrorist fighters. Many States are either inadequately connected to or do not fully exploit the databases of INTERPOL. Controls on the issuance of identity papers and travel documents, and measures to prevent counterfeiting, forgery or fraudulent use of identity papers and travel documents are also lagging, for a variety of reasons, including a lack of effective mechanisms to implement related requirements. The porous and lengthy nature of many land borders — including those of States most affected by the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters — also continues to increase States’ vulnerabilities. When it comes to preventing and disrupting terrorist financing, many States have yet to ensure, pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), that their legal frameworks include the criminalization of terrorist financing, or to establish mechanisms for the freezing of terrorist assets without delay. The ability to effectively identify and prevent the illicit cross-border movement of cash and to regulate alternative remittances needs to be addressed with greater urgency. States also need to work actively with the private sector and non-profit organizations to provide guidance on how best to protect financial flows from being diverted to terrorist uses. Perhaps the most critical gap in States’ capacities is the inadequate sharing of comprehensive, useful and timely financial information by domestic law enforcement and intelligence partners or by national agencies and their international counterparts. Countering incitement to terrorism and providing an effective and calibrated counter-narrative is key to tackling violent extremism, which can be conducive to terrorism. The emphasis on its importance is one of the most novel aspects of resolution 2178 (2014), which is also of relevance in the context of resolution 1624 (2005). Some States have not yet taken adequate steps to initiate community-engagement programmes or to develop strategies for effectively conveying targeted counter-messages aimed at specific groups that may be vulnerable to radicalization and the spread of violent extremism. There are also gaps in States’ efforts to counter the use of information and communications technologies, including the Internet, by terrorists and their supporters to incite terrorist acts and encourage support and sympathy for terrorist groups. Another important gap in many States is the lack of effective strategies and programmes for the rehabilitation and reintegration of returning foreign terrorist fighters. The development of such strategies and programmes is a specific requirement of resolution 2178 (2014), which also requires States to adopt prosecutorial strategies to hold foreign terrorist fighters accountable for terrorist acts while assessing whether alternative means exist to better facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration. Finally, there continue to be significant gaps in States’ efforts to ensure compliance with their obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law in the context of counter-terrorism measures taken to implement resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and this may foreshadow similar gaps in the implementation of resolution 2178 (2014). Respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are complementary and mutually reinforcing with effective counter-terrorism measures, and are an essential part of a successful counter-terrorism effort. The failure of States to comply with these and other international obligations, including under the Charter of the United Nations, is one of the factors contributing to increased radicalization and fosters a sense of impunity. Against the backdrop of the new challenges of terrorism, the Committee is aware of the fact that ever more countries are recognizing the grave threat posed by the global nature of foreign terrorist fighters. In this regard, counter-terrorism actions and measures are either being considered, reviewed or undertaken by States to address the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, as well as in countering violent extremism that can be conducive to terrorism. This opens new dimensions and possibilities for international cooperation. The Committee, with the support of CTED, will continue to develop and deepen the analysis of States’ gaps and assistance needs with regard to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005). That will help States comply with resolution 2178 (2014) and, in so doing, will build on CTED’s unique knowledge base with regard to country- specific, regional and global assessments of States’ implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005). The Counter-Terrorism Committee will also continue to compile good practices and make recommendations to States for strengthening their counter-terrorism programmes and will continue to count upon key partners in those endeavours. Ultimately, the facilitation of technical assistance is a core aspect of the mandate conveyed by resolution 2178 (2014). The Committee and CTED will underpin their technical assistance facilitation work with specific efforts and approaches, taking advantage of the data gathered by the Fusion Task Force using a gaps analysis technique. That will include working with States, at their request, on the development of comprehensive counter-terrorism strategies. In terms of the delivery of technical assistance, other players, both within and outside of the United Nations system, such as the Counter-Terrorism Task Force, entities within the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force framework and donor States of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, are of paramount importance. The Counter-Terrorism Committee and CTED will continue to explore effective ways and approaches to achieving the objectives of counter-terrorism capacity- building. The Committee looks forward to future opportunities for updating the Security Council and the wider membership on its efforts pursuant to resolution 2178 (2014).

I thank Ambassador Murmokaitė for her detailed and insightful briefing. The Council has before it the text of a daft statement by the President on behalf of the Council on the subject of today’s meeting. I thank the Council members for their valuable contributions to the draft statement. In accordance with the understanding reached among members of the Council, I shall take it that the members of the Security Council agree to the draft statement, which will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2014/23. It is so decided. It is now my privilege to make a statement in my capacity as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. For Australia, there is no more pressing matter of national and international security than reducing the threat from terrorism. The threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, the Al-Nusra Front (ANF) and other Al-Qaida-affiliated groups is more dangerous, more global and more diversified than ever before. Terrorists are younger, more violent, more innovative and highly interconnected. They are masters of social media, which they use to terrorize and to recruit, and they are very tech-savvy. They incite each other. They communicate their propaganda and violence directly into our homes so as to recruit disaffected young men and women. They draw in young people, like a 17-year-old from Melbourne who grew up in a typical Australian household and played sport for his local high school. Recently, he travelled to Iraq and detonated his explosives vest in a suicide bomb attack in a Baghdad marketplace, injuring more than 90 people. There were also the three young brothers from Brisbane. One became Australia’s first known suicide bomber, killing himself and 35 others at a military checkpoint in Syria. The second is currently fighting with the Al-Nusra Front. The third was stopped by Australian authorities before he got on a plane to join them. Australians are rightly outraged. We have turned our outrage into action. We are committed to working with the Iraqi Government, the United States and over 30 partners to attack and degrade ISIL and take back Iraqi territory. We are currently conducting air strikes against ISIL and providing special forces to help build the capabilities of Iraqi security forces and others fighting ISIL. I met recently with Prime Minister Al Abadi in Baghdad. He expressed deep gratitude for the assistance of Australia and the other nations that have joined in the fight against the brutalization of his citizens by ISIL. I conveyed to him Australia’s strong support for Iraq and our determination to stop terrorist fighters from Australia and prevent them from adding to the suffering of the people of Iraq and neighbouring Syria. We are taking the necessary steps at home. The Australian Government has cancelled the passports of more than 70 Australians suspected of planning to commit a terrorist act or engage in politically motivated violence overseas. Australia already has in place sophisticated legal architecture to effectively counter terrorism, including laws enabling us to implement those obligations with regard to all Member States under resolution 1373 (2001). I used those existing laws last week to freeze the assets of two Australians who were recruiting for ISIL online. The Australian Government has now introduced new foreign-fighter laws to help disrupt the organization, financing and facilitation of foreign terrorist fighters by enhancing our ability to track financial transactions of suspected foreign terrorist fighters, lowering the threshold for arrest without warrant for terrorism offences, which will enable our agencies to disrupt terrorist activity at an earlier stage, and cancelling certain social welfare payments to cut off the diversion of such funds for terrorism. Those new laws will enable us to stop suspected foreign fighters before they board a plane by allowing us to suspend as well as cancel a person’s Australian passport and enhancing screening and security measures at international airports, including through the collection and matching of biometric data. Those laws will enhance our ability to investigate and prosecute foreign fighters by introducing a new, broader offence for advocating terrorism, along with a new offence for entering, or remaining in, designated areas overseas where terrorist organizations are fighting, without a legitimate reason. We have also amended the terrorist organization listing provisions to include the promotion and encouragement of terrorist acts, requiring that the prosecution must prove that a person intended to engage in a hostile activity in any foreign country, rather than a particular foreign country, and allowing courts greater flexibility in determining whether to admit as evidence material obtained from overseas in terrorism-related proceedings. That is a significant development and will rely on good information-sharing with Member States. Moreover, we are now requiring telecommunication companies to retain metadata, enhancing Australia’s capacity to track, investigate and prosecute foreign terrorist fighters and supporters of terrorism. The new provisions will also enhance our ability to manage the threat from returned foreign fighters by enabling our police to more easily seek control orders on returning foreign terrorist fighters and broadening the grounds on which such control orders can be sought. Australia is a vibrant democracy. Therefore, this package of legislation has generated, as it should, a vigorous national debate on the need to protect the individual rights of Australians, including their right to privacy. Australia is preserving those rights by increasing support for independent oversight. We will also expand our regional law enforcement capacity- building efforts. Australia will host a major Global Counterterrorism Forum conference in December on air passenger security to help Governments use INTERPOL databases and implement the United Nations Al-Qaida sanctions to prevent international travel by foreign terrorist fighters. We are working with INTERPOL to deliver training in our region on the use of technology by terrorists and on how electronic evidence is gathered, managed and used in terrorism prosecutions. As President of the Financial Action Task Force for the next year, Australia will ensure that the Task Force will act to cut off funding to terrorist groups and foreign fighters. A crucial pillar in the Australian approach is to work directly with our communities. It seems to us that the very best way to build resistance to radicalization is through well informed families, schools, and religious and local institutions that can influence those at risk to dissuade them from embracing violent extremism. We are building targeted early-intervention and counter- radicalization programmes to identify the most at-risk individuals and to work with them through mentoring, education, employment support and counselling. We must also involve women and girls, and we have developed leadership training courses with them to help build community resilience. We are working with the information and communications technology sector to reduce the risk posed by terrorists and extremist groups online through education, promoting alternative messages and removing extremist content. ISIL and its ilk are an affront to Islam. All of us, including Muslim communities themselves, must do more to negate the violent extremist narratives of terrorists and denounce radical preachers of hate in our midst. The international community must join with them, and the United Nations is uniquely placed to provide leadership. The hateful ideologies are an affront to the values of the Charter of the United Nations. We believe that a United Nations envoy should be appointed to build a coherent, coordinated and strategic message to counter the spread of violent extremism and provide much-needed guidance to States, including through building their capacity to combat terrorism. Every country has an obligation to prevent terrorism. Every country has an obligation not to export terrorist capabilities. Each one has a responsibility to degrade the resources of terrorist organizations and to prevent the spread of their evil propaganda. Resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) enhance our framework to do that. But the road to effective implementation requires sustained effort, unwavering commitment and enduring cooperation among States. Today’s presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23 builds on those resolutions. It identifies practical next steps to stop the recruitment and travel of foreign terrorist fighters, to ensure that there is no place for their toxic ideologies in our communities and to disrupt each and every terrorist organization’s funding sources. The statement reaffirms the international community’s unflinching resolve. We must starve terrorist organizations of fighters, funding and legitimacy. We must act decisively and together. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I shall now give the floor to the other members of the Security Council.

At the outset, I would like to thank Ms. Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, for the invitation to participate in this debate and to thank the Secretary-General for his informative briefing. Likewise, I would like to greet my colleague from Luxembourg and the high representatives of Rwanda, the Republic of Korea and Lithuania. We all agree that today we are facing a proliferation of terrorist acts that share with terrorist acts of the recent past a common condition of being resounding manifestations of extreme violence, radicalized fundamentalism and an absolute and cruel devaluation of human dignity. However, today, we are also facing innovative modalities, if I may use that expression, that combine the reality of cruelty with virtual horror. The images of decapitations circulated by the networks place us, in real time, before what we might characterize as the virtual globalization of horror, a phenomenon that universalizes fear, uncertainty and alarm in a tangible manner. The normalization of horror in the media and the acceleration of extreme violence cannot bring us to see the military response as the only, or preferred, option for combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. That approach has already shown its limitations and failings. We have a responsibility, in the light of a humanity that seems paralysed by terror, to work for the full rule of law in each of our countries, assuming the imperative need to build a balanced and fair world order based on real multilateralism and cooperation. In the recent past, no country could consider itself immune from the possibility of falling victim to terrorist acts. However, today the threat is more clear than ever, and the implementation and strengthening of mechanisms for effective cooperation based on mutual respect are more necessary than ever. Although the international community has still not reached a universally agreed definition of terrorism, it is possible to identify what acts the international community condemns. We join the condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, as it is one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and to human dignity, peaceful coexistence, the consolidation of democracy, and the economic and social development of nations. Argentina is one of the many countries that have suffered terrorism directly. First, from 1976 to the end of 1983, our society suffered from terrorist acts perpetrated by the State and with the State apparatus by the most savage civil-military dictatorship that we have experienced. It was responsible for heinous crimes and crimes against humanity. The persecution of individuals who had ideologies considered subversive, potentially subversive or simply dangerous led to a systematic plan for exterminating and annihilating more than 30,000 people for their political or social activism, religious beliefs, class, ethnic identity or sexual orientation. They were victims of the genocidal violence of a fundamentalist conservativism, inspired by the doctrine of national security and trained by important centres of power that, during the Cold War, prevented the advance and consolidation of democracy, pluralism, tolerance and peace. Secondly, we experienced in our own flesh the dehumanizing and terrible actions of foreign terrorist groups that, motivated by hatred, fanaticism and destruction, committed terrorist attacks in 1992 and 1994 against the Jewish community centre, AMIA, and the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires. As the President of the Argentine nation said in the Security Council in September (see S/PV.7272), the Argentine Republic and the United States of America are the two countries on the American continent to have been the object of savage terrorist attacks. Those painful experiences and the numerous terrorist acts carried out since then have reaffirmed Argentina’s conviction that the response to terrorist acts should not and cannot be exclusively military. Rather, they should be based on a comprehensive approach, such as that reflected in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. I also wish to express my country’s conviction that terrorism must be fought within the framework of the rule of law and respect for due process. Indeed, the measures adopted by States to combat terrorism must fully respect international law, in particular international human rights law, international humanitarian law and refugee law. Those measures should also respect the purposes and the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, such as the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence of States and the principle of non-intervention in domestic affairs. Likewise, Argentina advocates respect for due process in the work of this Council. The creation of the Office of the Ombudsperson represents a significant step forward in that regard, but the Members of the Organization continue to raise concerns about procedural guarantees. One of the major concerns is that the mandate of the Ombudsperson covers only those individuals included in the Al-Qaida sanctions list. Argentina calls for broadening the mandate of that Office to all of the Security Council sanctions committees. Argentina is a party to the 13 legal instruments that have been established to combat terrorism and has taken internal measures to implement them and the Council’s resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005). Furthermore, together with your country, Madam President, and many others, Argentina helped to initiate the Arms Trade Treaty, which comes into force on 24 December. One of the Treaty’s purposes is to prevent the transfer of arms to human-rights violators and perpetrators of crimes against humanity, as well as to reduce the risk of weapons being diverted to the illegal market, with the possibility that they might end up in the hands of terrorist or criminal groups. We therefore encourage all States Members of the United Nations, especially the members of the Council, to ratify the Treaty, since it will contribute significantly to our countries’ security. I should mention that during the Treaty negotiations, Argentina, like a significant number of delegations, also proposed banning the sale of arms to unauthorized non-State actors. Regrettably, no consensus was reached on including such a ban at the time of the Treaty’s adoption, but Argentina is hopeful that the parties to the Treaty will approve it as one factor in preventing arms transfers that could help to fuel conflicts in various parts of the world. Reality has shown us that when some countries decide today to arm those calling themselves freedom fighters, tomorrow those freedom fighters may be the terrorists we are trying to combat. It is clear that the 13 conventions on combating terrorism oblige us, among other things, to prevent terrorist groups from having access to resources and funding for their activities. It is also clear that the Council’s resolutions oblige us to prevent individuals, groups and entities associated with Al-Qaida from having access to weapons and related material. Argentina maintains that States should also refrain from sending weapons to areas of conflict, which only helps to increase such conflicts’ intensity and duration and to endanger civilians. Argentina believes firmly that the United Nations, as a cornerstone of the multilateral system, should be the Organization directing States’ actions to combat terrorism. While we value the contribution that other forums or initiatives can make, ours is the body with the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Moreover, the universal representation it provides ensures both the participation of all States Members on equal terms, as well as the legitimacy of decisions that are reflected in standards, guidelines and good practices. Argentina believes that multilateral action through the United Nations, in accordance with the principles of the Organization, will enable us to address the threat of terrorism and achieve a safer world for all.

I am very grateful for Mr. Timerman’s presence today, particularly since we met only a few days ago at the Group of 20 Summit in Brisbane. His presence certainly demonstrates the extent of Argentina’s dedication to addressing the threat of terrorism in all its forms.

I am grateful to you, Madam President, for taking the initiative to organize this open debate. Luxembourg, like Australia, believes the fight against terrorism and violent extremism is a priority. We commend the presidential statement we have just adopted at Australia’s initiative, aimed at strengthening action on the part of the international community (S/PRST/2014/23). I would like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his briefing on the United Nations response to the threat of terrorism, which highlighted the value the United Nations adds in this area. I also thank Mr. Gary Quinlan, Permanent Representative of Australia and Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) and resolution 1989 (2011), concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities, and Ms. Raimonda Murmokaitė, Permanent Representative of Lithuania and Chair of the Counter- Terrorism Committee, for their informative briefings and determined action. I welcome the presence here today of my Argentine colleague, Mr. Héctor Timerman. I associate myself with the statement to be delivered later by the observer of the European Union. The threat of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaida and its affiliates is a source of growing concern. While the terrorist phenomenon is certainly not new, the problem that such groups ravaging Iraq and Syria pose differs in nature and scale from threats that the international community has faced in the past. I thank the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team established pursuant to resolution 1526 (2004) for its most recent report (see S/2014/815), which does a good job of analysing that what distinguishes the threat posed by such groups is the nexus they have established between funding and control of large areas of territory and populations, as well as the support they get from the more than 15,000 foreign fighters, from more than 80 countries, who have joined their sinister cause. Last year, a young couple and their child left Luxembourg for Syria, where the father of the family very quickly died in fighting between terrorist groups  — such a waste, such a lack of respect for human life and such a terrible message for that man’s child. The groups’ extreme ideology is exacerbating sectarian tensions and helping to destabilize the region even more. Indeed, it is difficult to understand the attraction of such barbarity to anyone. The atrocities committed by those terrorist groups have shocked us all. I will mention only the most recent example, ISIL’s disgusting execution of an American humanitarian aid worker, Abdul-Rahman Kassig, who was captured while he was working to help the Syrian people. We must act together to combat this threat, and our response must be commensurate with the challenge. In the Security Council, the adoption of resolutions 2170 (2104) and 2178 (2014) has helped strengthen the international counter-terrorism framework aimed at containing the threat posed by ISIL, the Al-Nusra Front and the influx of foreign fighters. We must now work together to ensure that the measures outlined in those resolutions can take full effect. In that regard, I would like to thank the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate for their preliminary analysis and actions supporting the implementation of resolution 2178 (2104). For its part, Luxembourg has just completed a review of its entire legal framework in the light of the provisions of resolution 2178 (2014). Based on that, we have begun to review and adapt our legislative and regulatory framework in order to take full account of the Council’s measures addressing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. The goal is to prevent those who want to leave to fight alongside terrorist groups from reaching conflict zones. We must also ensure that acts preparing, training and recruiting for terrorism are effectively prosecuted and punished. Lastly, our relevant authorities are working on a strategy to combat extremist radicalization based on both preventive and punitive measures, which will include establishing a mentoring and outreach network in close consultation with educational institutions and religious communities, and with the support of our National Red Cross Society. Data-collection aimed at preventing the travel and transit of foreign terrorist fighters also involves strengthening information-sharing and cooperation among Member States. The European Union is already working on this, including through information exchange within its Schengen Information System and its work on providing data on passenger records. We intend to continue such efforts, particularly when Luxembourg assumes the presidency of the Council of Europe in the second half of 2015. The Monitoring Team’s report rightly emphasizes that we must redouble our efforts to block terrorist groups’ sources of financing, such as oil smuggling, donations, trafficking in antiquities, taxing populations living under their yoke and, worst of all, the despicable trafficking of women and children. Luxembourg has adopted a complete and consistent set of legislative and regulatory measures in the struggle against money- laundering and terrorist financing. We pay particular attention to their effective implementation. Those measures fully take into account the declaration adopted by the Financial Action Task Force on 24 October in Paris, expressing deep concern at the financing generated by and provided to the terrorist group Daesh. I would like to conclude by reiterating a point that the Prime Minister of Luxembourg already made two months ago at the Security Council summit held on 24 September (see S/PV.7272), which was echoed today by the Secretary-General. This point seems essential to me: that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law need to be an integral part of our counter-terrorism strategy if we want that strategy to achieve its aim. Otherwise, we run the risk of promoting a sense of injustice and impunity, which in turn fuels radicalization and the spread of terrorism. Now is not the time to fan the flames of violent extremism. On the contrary, we need to use all of the tools at our disposal at the international, regional, national and local levels to extinguish the noxious fire of terrorism.

I thank His Excellency Mr. Asselborn for his presence here today and for his statement, as well as for the national measures that Luxembourg has taken and its commitment to working on this issue during its presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2015.

Madam President, allow me at the outset to welcome your initiative of convening this open debate on international cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism. The holding of this high-level debate only three months after the 24 September summit on foreign terrorist fighters (see S/PV.7272) and the adoption of resolution 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) are a demonstration of the deep commitment of the Security Council to follow through on its decision and address the ever-growing phenomenon of terrorism and violent extremism. Allow me also to welcome the presidential statement just adopted (S/PRST/2014/23). I thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and for his leadership in mobilizing the United Nations system in combating terrorism. I take this opportunity to thank Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė of Lithuania, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, and Ambassador Gary Quinlan of Australia, Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities, for their respective briefings. Terrorism is a global threat that has affected all continents and all peoples without distinction, regardless of race, religion or social class. As the concept note for this debate (see S/2014/787, annex) reminds us, the average age of terrorists is much lower than the previous generation of terrorists, with many teenagers enrolled in terrorist organizations. In most countries, young people continue to face serious challenges related to education, poverty, unemployment, bad governance or discrimination. Through social media, extremist propaganda and religious radicalization, young people can easily be recruited and indoctrinated by jihadists and other extremists. Therefore any comprehensive approach against terrorism will require our continued resolve to address the political, economic and social challenges facing our societies. Nevertheless, the economic hurdles that our countries face should never be a justification for criminal activities. That would be an insult to the huge majority of law-abiding young people whose ambition is to face those challenges and improve their lives through education, employment, innovation, culture, sport or any other contribution to their society. Every terrorist, whatever his or her background, should be held accountable for widowing mothers and fathers, for orphaning children and for devastating communities. As we have said in the past, terrorism should never be identified with any religion, faith or culture. Terrorism is pure evil and should be combated as such. Nonetheless, religious and community leaders have an important role to play in combating terrorism and violent extremism. Those leaders should unequivocally dissociate themselves from terrorist activities, reject extremist and violent narratives, and protect young people from radicalization and recruitment by terrorist organizations. Regarding foreign terrorist fighters in particular, it is important that countries of origin, transit and destination work together and agree on a common approach to prevent the recruitment, training and travel of these killers, in accordance with resolution 2178 (2014). In this regard, as terrorist organizations abuse civil liberties such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press, it is critical that all countries put in place appropriate measures to counter the dissemination of hatred ideology on social media and other information and communications tools. We need to ensure that fundamental rights and freedoms do not fuel extremism and lead to the violation of the most important right of all: the right to life. To effectively curtain the growing trend of the mobilization and recruitment of young people into the ranks of terrorist groups, the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies must be vigilant and proactive. Using the example of the recent public announcement of another jihadist group in Egypt, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities should be ready to continue to impose sanctions against groups that support sanctioned entities such as ISIL. Another tool in addressing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters is financing. Most terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram have been financing their activities through online fundraising, illegal taxes and extortion, as well as kidnapping for ransom. Others, such as ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front (ANF), have secured huge amounts of money from the illicit trade in oil. In that context, we call on all States to fully implement the presidential statement of 28 July (S/PRST/2014/14) and ensure that their nationals and residents do not engage in any commercial or financial transactions with ISIL, ANF or other sanctioned entities. We recall also resolution 2133 (2014), which calls on all Member States to prevent terrorists from benefiting directly or indirectly from ransom payments or from political concessions. We have to work together to drain the bloody river that fuels terrorism and spreads death and devastation in our communities. Specific to our region, Africa, terrorism and extremism have spread to the Sahel and beyond, with unprecedented security and humanitarian consequences. Terrorism is increasingly becoming interconnected throughout Africa, from Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Ansar Eddine in Mali, Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya, Al-Shabaab in Somalia and many others, from the Maghreb to the Horn of Africa, with links to Syria and other parts of the world. This is a worrying situation that threatens African stability. We need now to have proactive policies, mechanisms and concrete measures to prevent the further spread of these negative groups and eradicate them, while sustaining the resilience of communities. These measures can succeed only if the United Nations works hand in hand with regional and subregional organizations to enhance and sustain innovative mechanisms aimed at eradicating this scourage. Additionally, we should never lose sight of the fact that the core of this evil is always radical ideology, be it religious or political. While Rwanda has no yet been affected by ISIL or Al-Qaida terrorism, it is important to recall that, as stated by President Kagame at the recent Council summit on foreign terrorist fighters (see S/PV.7272), Rwanda has faced, even its capital city, terrorist activities carried out be elements to the so-called Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, which has been based in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and driven by its genocidal ideology since 1994. It is therefore important that, in combating global terrorism, we pay attention to the most immediate to our respective populations. To conclude, terrorism and violent extremism remain a global threat to international peace and security. No country, however powerful it may be, can deal with that threat alone. Therefore, coordination among States, international assistance and cooperation, information exchange and the sharing of best practices are some of the best ways through which the international community can defeat the threat of terrorism and violent extremism. Rwanda is therefore committed to continuing to play its part in the region and beyond.

I thank Ambassador Gasana for his statement, recognizing as it did the global nature of terrorism, its proliferation in Africa, its impact on young people, and the fact that every terrorist must be held to account.

My delegation wishes to thank you, Madam, for presiding over this timely debate on international cooperation in counter-terrorism. I would like to thank Secretary- General Ban; Ambassador Quinlan, Chair of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities; and Ambassador Murmokaitė, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism, for their informative briefings. I also wish to extend my deepest condolences to the families of those who were executed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), most recently American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter Kassig. The Republic of Korea strongly condemns these barbaric acts. These are tragic reminders of the brutality of ISIL and the need for the international community to strengthen efforts to put an end to terrorism. In this regard, my delegation strongly supports the adoption of the draft presidential statement before us today, which lays out steps for Member States and the United Nations to implement counter-terrorism measures in a comprehensive and practical manner. In particular, we note its emphasis on curbing the financing of terrorist entities. At the Security Council summit in September (see S/PV.7272), the Council demonstrated its resolve to tackle the challenge of terrorist entities, such as ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front (ANF), as well as foreign terrorist fighters, by unanimously adopting resolution 2178 (2014). ISIL and ANF terrorize, extort and sexually enslave innocent civilians. They also embroil regions with violence and terrorism, while fanning the flames of sectarianism. This clearly goes against the very values of Islam they claim to represent. In particular, the security implications arising from the increase of foreign terrorist fighters affect not only Iraq and Syria, but resonate far beyond the Middle East. Radicalized and disaffected foreign terrorist fighters can return to their home countries with advanced terrorist tactics acquired on the battlefield. The less restrictive border controls spurred by globalization are enabling foreign terrorist fighters to move around the world with relative ease. At the same time, the terrorists’ increased and adept use of the Internet has made their recruitment and propaganda more pervasive and toxic. Against this backdrop, at the Security Council summit in September President Park Geun-Hye expressed her strong commitment to thoroughly implementing resolution 2178 (2014). Accordingly, the Korean Government has been making efforts to meet this commitment. First, Korea has launched an interagency process to review relevant laws and systems to identify gaps in border control, financing and information-sharing. We look forward to sharing each others’ best practices with other countries in this area. Secondly, we have strengthened measures to monitor the travel of foreign terrorist fighters. In addition to restricting the entry of individuals designated by the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, we are tightly monitoring those who are traveling to or through the Republic of Korea by making use of INTERPOL databases and the Advance Passenger Information System. We are also increasing efforts to share information on suspected individuals with other countries. Such efforts helped Korea to successfully host the 17th Asian Games and the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in recent months. In fact, it was encouraging to note that relevant authorities in other countries of Asia and elsewhere have recently become more proactive in sharing information. Thirdly, Korea is actively engaging in regional counter-terrorism initiatives. We supported the recent adoption of the East Asia Summit statement on terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. We support the initiative of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) to hold a regional counter-terrorism workshop in North-East Asia next year, where judges, prosecutors and police officers will discuss ways to strengthen law enforcement in combating terrorism. Fourthly, as the host of the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and the forthcoming workshop with the International Atomic Energy Agency on cybersecurity, we are endeavouring to contribute to global efforts to end the malicious use of information and communications technology by terrorists. Our authorities are strengthening measures to prevent terrorists from inciting violent extremism through the Internet, while keeping the Internet open, free and secure. In this regard, we look forward to working with the United Nations , including the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and CTED to address these threats. Lastly, a more fundamental approach to addressing the conditions that lead to violent extremism is critical. We should explore socioeconomic strategies to address the root causes of terrorism. To this end, Korea will continue to expand our official development assistance by providing training and increasing employment of young people in developing countries. The United Nations is well positioned to play a central role in countering global terrorism by providing analysis and strategic direction. Korea hopes that the United Nations system will continue to strengthen its counter-terrorism capacity by improving coordination among relevant United Nations agencies, most notably CTITF and CTED, while strengthening cooperation with other international organizations such as INTERPOL. In addition, the capacity gap of Member States to address terrorism, as illustrated by the 1373 Committee Chair today, underscores the need for the United Nations to make efforts to provide increased technical assistance and coordination to Member States. Finally, as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) , Korea would like to point out that we should remain vigilant in deterring terrorists’ access to weapons of mass destruction. In this regard, Korea hopes that the United Nations will also come up with a more comprehensive analysis and recommend ways to adopt a sustained and holistic approach to countering violent extremism. We look forward to the Council’s further deliberations on this significant topic. In closing, we wish to express our appreciation to Australia for its hard work in reinforcing cooperation to counter terrorism in its capacity as Chair of the 1267 Committee and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) during the past two years.

I thank Mr. Shin Dong-ik for his statement and for outlining Korea’s specific actions in combating terrorism and countering violent extremism.

I would like to start by thanking the Australian presidency of the Security Council for organizing this highly pertinent debate. A few days ago, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant carried out yet another beheading of a humanitarian worker, Abdul-Rahman, or Peter, Kassig, which was a disgusting, barbaric act and has been condemned by the Council. Terrorism brings devastation and suffering to the countries and people affected by it by killing, raping, enslaving, displacing, and denying the most basic of rights to those who are in the terrorists’ way. The threat of terrorism knows no boundaries as it spreads and mutates, affecting entire regions. The fact that terrorism and violent extremism have been high on the Security Council’s agenda and that we meet here today in this high-level open debate demonstrates the importance and urgency that this body attaches to such threats. We appreciate the intent of the Australian presidency to seize the momentum and take stock of the progress made in implementing recent decisions of the Council, while also discussing a practical way forward. Presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23, adopted today, is another important step in that regard. The constantly evolving nature and intensity of the threat of terrorism and violent extremism have put existing counter-terrorism measures to an unprecedented test. Frameworks to tackle the threat existed long before resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) were adopted, yet, as we heard from the briefers today, the actual response still lags behind. Significant implementation gaps persist, because of a lack of capacity, resources or political will, and efforts to bridge those gaps need to be stepped up. At the same time, concrete means and measures need to be updated and adapted in order to at least match the level of innovation and dynamics on the part of the terrorists themselves. Addressing the radicalization process that leads individuals to accept terrorist violence as an action of choice is key to preventing new terrorists from emerging and to dissuading and rehabilitating former terrorists. We have already had several occasions to hear States sharing their national experiences, which increasingly encompass education, greater public engagement and community outreach, in order to push back the terrorist narratives and provide positive alternatives to their schemes. Communities, traditional and religious leaders, women, and surviving victims of terrorism, education, community policing and mobilization can contribute significantly to such efforts. On the other hand, the use of social media and modern communication technologies merits special attention, as it poses significant new challenges when used by terrorists. It also provides significant new opportunities for spreading positive messaging to counter the terrorist narrative. The United Nations itself needs to step up its efforts to address violent extremism and raise its visibility in that area, including through strategic communications. Mobility and flexibility, as highlighted by the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, exacerbate the threat of terrorism by providing it with a potentially global reach. Identifying and interdicting individuals as they travel to engage in fighting is often the last chance to prevent them from turning into actual terrorists, as well as a first step towards effective mitigation of potential threats upon their return. Countries need to step up their efforts to improve information-sharing and their analytical capability at border crossings. Wider and better use of INTERPOL databases must be encouraged. Moreover, the capacities of States, especially those neighbouring conflict zones, to control their land borders need to be further strengthened. It is also essential to step up efforts aimed at disrupting terrorist financing. Terrorist organizations increasingly rely on looting, illicit trade in antiquities and protected species, poaching, kidnapping for ransom, human trafficking and drug trafficking. Many of those activities have links with international organized crime networks. The ability of States to detect and prevent terrorism financing in all its varieties is a crucial component of counter-terrorism efforts. It is especially relevant with regard to the non-profit sector, alternative remittance systems, cross-border movements of cash and the ability to freeze funds and assets linked to terrorism. The foregoing are just a few of the many interrelated areas where progress could contribute to the suppression of terrorism, both tangibly and durably. In that regard, preventive measures are a long-term investment, as reducing the vulnerability of States and strengthening the resilience of societies to terrorist threats often prove to be more effective, also in the areas of conflict prevention and conflict resolution. The United Nations system as a whole plays a central role in leading international efforts aimed at suppressing terrorism and ensuring the coherence of responses. We recognize linkages with the recently revised United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the benefits of closer and more coherent coordination among the various United Nations bodies tasked with its implementation. Moreover, we see great potential in the cooperation with and among various international, regional and subregional organizations, such as the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO and the Global Counterterrorism Forum. However, the essential element of all those efforts remains the long-term commitment of States. While various multilateral bodies are in a position to monitor States’ implementation of relevant international obligations and help them identify and overcome existing gaps, effective measures to counter terrorism must correspond to national circumstances, be nationally led, but also remain open to genuine international cooperation.

I thank Lithuania for its leadership of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, which does very important work to help States to fulfil their obligations. Sir Mark Lyall Grant (United Kingdom): I thank you, Madam President, for convening and presiding over this important debate today, thereby maintaining the momentum built up by resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). I want to thank Ambassadors Quinlan and Murmokaité for their briefings, and I welcome the adoption of today’s strong presidential statement underlining once again the Council’s unity on the issue of combating terrorism and violent extremism (S/PRST/2014/23). The international terrorist threat continues to evolve, posing an increasingly acute and widespread danger to Member States. We have witnessed the terrible suffering of those living in territories controlled by terrorist groups. We have been appalled by a calculated series of brutal murders of journalists and aid workers by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other Al-Qaida-related groups. We have learned of plots involving terrorists who have fought in Syria and Iraq to murder innocent people in their home countries. Some of those individuals have come from the United Kingdom after being radicalized through the increasingly sophisticated use by ISIL of digital propaganda. Now more than ever, the international community must improve its collective response, working together with the United Nations to combat an increasingly sophisticated and dangerous terrorist threat. There are three areas where additional effort is specifically needed. First, we need to counter the extremism and extremist ideology that underpin terrorism. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in the Council yesterday (see S/PV.7314), little attention has been paid to the underlying struggle for minds. My Prime Minister noted in his general debate speech in September (see A/69/PV.8) that we must take a long-term approach and address the root cause of terrorist threats, in particular the poisonous ideology of Islamist extremism, which distorts the Islamic faith. In the case of ISIL, it is a terrorist group that seeks to misrepresent a religion with a warped, extremist ideology. ISIL uses that political ideology to justify and fuel its terrorism, to challenge and contradict United Nations values and to undermine peace in the Middle East. We should all continue to denounce ISIL and other terrorist groups’ hijacking of religion for violent ends and work together to defeat the ideology of extremists. Secondly, we must disrupt the financing of terrorist groups. ISIL is sitting on extensive assets, yet it also relies heavily on the income it generates. Resolution 2170 (2014) made clear that direct and indirect trade with ISIL, the Al-Nusra Front or other Al-Qaida groups constitutes financial support in breach of United Nations sanctions. The international community must work in concert, deepening cooperation to disrupt that income, suppressing the market for their oil, tackling illicit trade in their commodities, breaking the vicious cycle of ransom payments that incentivize future kidnappings, and sanctioning those who trade with Al-Qaida groups and raise funds for them. The United Kingdom therefore welcomes the Monitoring Team’s recent report (S/2014/770) and its recommendations for future action. Finally, the international community must disrupt the travel of an unprecedented number of individuals to conflict zones, such as Syria, to fight in terrorist groups. In the face of that threat, resolution 2178 (2014) is particularly important, as it obliges States to disrupt travel by foreign terrorist fighters and to both prosecute and rehabilitate them on return. The United Kingdom, like Australia and many other countries, has taken legislative action domestically to implement those obligations. I conclude by noting that the United Nations system continues to have a vital role to play in the face of these, and indeed all, terrorist threats. In particular, the United Nations as a whole has a responsibility to defend and promote United Nations values in response to the extremist narratives promoted by terrorists. For example, there is a significant opportunity for the United Nations to up its game in terms of strategic communications on countering extremists. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights put it well yesterday, when he said that thought must be undermined by thought, in order to overturn ISIL’s ideology of violence and death. That effort should build on existing resources and the excellent work already being done, including the analytical expertise of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the capacity- building expertise of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. But it must go wider, including relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and United Nations field missions, so that the combined United Nations response and messaging is both more coordinated and more integrated. With such an increasingly holistic and energized approach, the United Nations has the potential to deliver truly impactful support to the regions and the countries most vulnerable to the threat of terrorism.

I thank the United Kingdom for its role in the Council’s adoption of resolution 2170 (2014), which provides an important pillar of the international community’s action against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and the Al-Nusra Front.

China welcomes the Australian initiative to hold an open debate on counter-terrorism today. We welcome your coming to New York, Madam President, to preside at this meeting. I thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Ambassador Quinlan, Chair of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities; and Ambassador Murmokaitė, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism, for their briefings. The international community is presently facing a resurgence of terrorism, with its new means and manifestations. We have seen rampant, violent extremist activities, the return of terrorists who were trained abroad and the use of the Internet by terrorist organizations to engage in all acts of terrorism. Terrorist organizations are resorting to international financing and information technology and is recruiting young people, thereby causing greater harm. We face a grim, uphill fight against terrorism. In the face of the new threats and challenges posed by terrorism, the Security Council swiftly adopted resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), which reflect the will and determination of the international community to fight terrorism. The international community should enhance its sharing of information and successful experiences, scale up capacity-building and join hands in maintaining international peace and security. I would like to stress the following points. First, the fight against terrorism must have one standard. Terrorists ignore fundamental human rights and challenge the bottom line of human civilization. They are the common enemy of humankind. Any terrorist act, regardless of when, where or by whom it is committed, constitutes a grave, inexcusable crime. All countries should cooperate in the fight without employing double standards or selectivity. Nor should they link terrorism with any ethnic group or religion. Secondly, in the fight against terrorism, we must abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. We must respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries concerned, and the United Nations and Security Council should play a leading role. Only in that way will we maintain unity and improve the coordination of our actions. Countries should accelerate implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), and adopt integrated measures to tackle both the roots and symptoms of terrorism and eliminate its breeding ground. Thirdly, our fight against terrorism must be targeted more effectively. With the development of cyber information and technology, the Internet has become an important channel for terrorists to carry out their activities. Cyberterrorism has become increasingly harmful to the international community; it is the new topic and challenge in our fight against terrorism. The international community must, on the one hand, continue to deal with traditional strategies and ways of combating terrorism, and, on the other, take rigorous steps, based on the characteristics of the Internet and cyber-terrorist activities, to tackle the terrorist organizations’ use of the Internet to publish terrorist audio and video, spread extremist ideology and finance, incite, plan and carry out terrorist activities. The United Nations counter-terrorism mechanism must use innovative approaches and initiatives to effectively implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly. China looks forward to the 2015 special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee on preventing the use of the Internet and social media by terrorists to incite terrorism and recruit terrorists. The meeting will promote strong actions on the part of the international community and pragmatic cooperation against cyberterrorism. China faces a direct and realistic threat from East Turkestan terrorist forces, headed by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. In recent years, it has continued to incite and organize terrorist activities, which threatens both China’s national security and regional security and stability. In May this year, China’s President Xi Jinping stressed that China will fight terrorism at both the national and the international levels, and seeks to strengthen international cooperation against terrorism. China will continue to strictly implement the relevant Council resolutions, strengthen its legislation on counter-terrorism, combat terrorism in accordance with the law and severely punish such terrorist crimes. China will continue to actively take part in and promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation against terrorism, strengthen information-sharing and assist developing countries both materially and in capacity-building within its capabilities. On 17 and 18 November, China hosted a workshop on combating cyberterrorism within the Global Counterterrorist Forum in Beijing, at which discussions were held on ways and means to prevent and fight cyberterrorism and strengthen international cooperation and capacity-building. We are willing to enhance exchanges and cooperation with the international community and promote new progress in international cooperation in the fight against terrorism in order to maintain world peace and stability.

I thank China for its support of international efforts to combat the acts of foreign terrorist fighters, and the threat of cyberterrorism in particular.

First, let me convey to you, Madam President, the warm regards and greetings of my Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, with whom I was in Abuja just two days ago. He wanted to be here in person, but because of pressing matters and engagements of State, he could not come, so he extends his regrets for not joining the Council. I should like to thank your presidency for organizing this important debate. My delegation also thanks Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, Ambassador Murmokaitė of Lithuania and Ambassador Gary Quinlan of Australia for their respective briefings. Let me also join the Secretary-General in congratulating your Prime Minister, yourself, Madam President, and your Government on the successful hosting of the Group of Twenty Summit. Terrorism and violent extremism are two of the gravest threats to international peace and security today. Those threats have been compounded in recent times by the growing problem of foreign terrorist fighters. They have also been exacerbated by the vacuum created by forcible changes in Governments and the overthrow of constitutive authority in some regions of the world, where the collapse of such authority has opened space for the emergence of terrorist groups. That is all the more so in the case of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Experience shows that no country is immune from terrorist acts and violent extremism. Experience also shows that no one country can fight those threats alone. Only through international cooperation can terrorists and violent extremists be defeated. That requires cooperation at various levels, global, regional and subregional. It also requires critical actions at the national level. At the global level, the United Nations has shown remarkable leadership in the effort to fight terrorism through the various Security Council resolutions and through the actions of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The United Nations has also provided the strategic framework for comprehensively addressing issues pertaining to the fight against terrorism through its Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. At the regional level, in Africa we have the Organization of African Unity Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, adopted in July 1999, and the African Union Plan of Action on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, adopted in September 2002. Those instruments have enhanced cooperation among African countries in the fight against terrorism. At the institutional level, there is the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, based in Algiers. The Centre works with national focal points in African Union (AU) member States and has a mandate to strengthen the capacity of the AU to fight terrorism in Africa. At the subregional level, in 2013 the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted a counter-terrorism strategy and implementation plan within the framework of the Political Declaration on a Common Position against Terrorism. One of the key goals of the strategy is to promote cooperation, coordination, harmonization and synergies in the national counter-terrorism actions of member States. That shows a realization on the part of ECOWAS member States that countries must come together at the subregional level as well to fight terrorism. For us in Nigeria, terrorism has come with considerable challenges and a price. That fact was stated by President Goodluck Jonathan during the debate on this topic in September in this very Chamber (see S/PV.7272) when States members of the Council met at the summit level to discuss the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. He also underscored the commitment and underlined the resolve of the Federal Government of Nigeria to fight terrorism on both the local and the global stages. We have drawn inspiration from resolution 1373 (2001) and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy as we work to address the challenges confronting us. Terrorism compels us to review and update our laws, review and strengthen our institutions, and create platforms for greater coordination and cooperation within and across national security agencies. We are also developing capacity to work in collaboration with civil society and the international community. We have devised a new national security model that is inclusive and premised on the provision of peace, security and development. When we started to deal with the Boko Haram threat, our laws were not so clear on a number of fundamental points. The situation has now changed with the adoption of the Terrorism Prevention Act (2013), which clearly defines what constitutes terrorism. With the act in effect, we are now able to block some avenues of financing, thereby quelling the activities of some of the terrorists. We have developed a national counter- terrorism strategy, while working with key stakeholders and the international community. We thank Australia for its support and cooperation in the elaboration of our National Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which is organized around five pillars, each with key objectives and indicators. We have also developed a benchmarking framework for evaluating the implementation of that strategy, which includes the respect for human rights and the rule of law, the successful prosecution of violent extremist offenders, capacity-building of all relevant institutions, including the criminal justice system, and public participation and the creation of awareness with regard to preventing terrorism. In order to achieve the objectives of the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy and build community resilience, we designed a soft approach to countering violent extremism. That approach focuses on several aspects of deradicalization, which includes the implementation of a prison-based deradicalization programme for convicted terrorists and other terrorist suspects awaiting trial. Our objective is to reform, rehabilitate and prepare violent extremist offenders for re-entry into society. Significant challenges still continue to confront us in our fight against terrorism. We are, however, determined to sustain and indeed intensify our efforts in that fight. We appreciate the importance of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism. In that regard, we will continue to count on the support and cooperation of friendly countries and nations and relevant multilateral institutions as we deal with the scourge of terrorism. This is going to be a long, drawn-out and difficult fight. The underlying or root causes of terrorism and the allure of extremism must be studied, understood and addressed. Alienation and frustration are two powerful forces that pull young and impressionable people into the embrace of the ideology and make terrorism and extremism appealing. All outstanding conflicts, especially in the Middle East, must be brought to an end expeditiously, without further prolongation. The problem of inequality between and among nations that perpetuates global instability must also be addressed through the adoption of a universal right to development framework that has at its core the ending of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.

I take this opportunity to express the condolences of all present for the appalling attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram and our solidarity with the Nigerian Government in countering that threat.

At the outset, allow me to extend my thanks to you, Madam President, for presiding over this open debate on international cooperation to counter terrorism. My delegation notes with satisfaction the adoption of presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23, drafted by Australia, which enhances our collective efforts to counter terrorism. I thank also the Secretary-General for his statement and the Chairs of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities and the Counter-Terrorism Committee for their briefings. My delegation has listened to those briefings and considered them carefully. Al-Qaida and affiliated and splinter groups, including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), are a major threat to international peace and security. The risk those groups pose to the Middle East in particular is an imminent threat, as they spread, gain strength and form alliances. They also control lands that are fertile and rich in resources. The ongoing conflicts in the region continue provide fertile grounds for terrorist organizations to gain strength. The lack of a comprehensive political solution in Syria has made that situation even worse. It will not be possible to put an end the threat of ISIL and others in Syria without a political transition in Syria. Jordan exerts tremendous efforts to control its borders and to counter the expansion of such groups. Those terrorist organizations attempt to infiltrate our borders and send terrorism elements to perpetrate acts of sabotage in neighbouring countries. We should therefore be vigilant regarding the ideological threat of such organizations and others within and beyond their areas of their operation, as they spread their values and violent rhetoric. By exploiting all media outlets, they attract and recruit youth. Therefore, we should all face this threat through efforts to spread awareness, culture and education within local communities and, most importantly, among youth, and look into why they fall into the trap of joining terrorist organizations. Jordan reiterates its call on other countries, international partners and other relevant United Nations entities concerned with countering terrorism to provide all possible assistance to support the capacity of countries at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, so that they are able to face the threat and shoulder their responsibility. Jordan is concerned by such organizations perpetrating heinous crimes against innocent civilians in Iraq and Syria. We affirm the need to face such barbaric acts, which are waged primarily against Muslims, without discrimination. The crimes of humiliation and the mass summary executions perpetrated mercilessly by ISIL against hundreds of Bunimer tribespeople, which were recently condemned by the Council, are evidence of that, as if they are telling those who oppose them, “if you oppose us, we are entitled to spill your blood”. Jordan is aware of the increasing global challenge of the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, compounding that of violent extremism and requiring pre-emptive and preventive security measures at the international and national levels. The relevant United Nations entities concerned with combating terrorism should act immediately and comprehensively. They should redouble their efforts and form in-depth partnerships with Member States in order to move towards providing tangible support to those States in capacity-building so that they would be able to meet their obligations. Jordan affirms the need to enhance regional and international cooperation to face this phenomenon. It is important to share information among the relevant entities in the region. Countries in the region should also undertake their responsibilities in terms of border control. Resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) are important in the framework of the international response to terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters. Even before the adoption of resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), Jordan had adopted a comprehensive national approach, organized around three main pillars, to dealing with such phenomena. First, we have taken a number of pre-emptive and preventive measures to address the violent extremism that fuels terrorism. Those measures include security awareness and social measures that tackle issues in the political, economic and social dimensions, with the participation of all relevant national institutions and leaders. The role of Jordan is not limited to national perspectives, but goes beyond that to the international and regional levels. His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein has launched a number of initiatives, including the Message of Amman, the Message of Common Ground, and International Reconciliation Week, all of which call for moderation, tolerance and giving priority to the language of dialogue. Secondly, we have adopted a number of laws and national legislation that deal firmly with terrorism. We addressed the phenomenon of terrorist recruitment in the 2006 law against terrorism. We enhanced that law through efforts to deal with the issue of foreign terrorist fighters in a 2014 amendment. We also included the risk of the use of information and communications technology in terrorist recruitment and the spread of terrorist ideology. Thirdly, we have implemented a number of measures, including on border control, given the growing threat of terrorist organizations in neighbouring countries and a lack of regular uniformed army personnel along the northern borders of the Kingdom. With regard to our national and regional roles, we intend to launch a regional initiative that will include the participation of international experts and representatives of local communities and all the relevant entities and organizations, focused on the growing use of information and communications technologies by terrorist organizations and their affiliates, including social media and other media outlets, with the aim of spreading extremist terrorist ideology. One of the most important outcomes of the initiative would be the drafting of a comprehensive media plan to confront the misleading messages of terrorist organizations, as well as to raise awareness in local communities about terrorism. We call on the relevant United Nations agencies, including the Counter-Terrorism Centre, to support this initiative, which would be in the interests of us all. Our war against terrorism will take a long time. It is a war at the levels both of security and ideology. All of us must therefore be persistent and make every effort to defeat this scourge, which disrupts the safety and security of all of us.

We all appreciate the significant role that Jordan is playing in the region, and we welcome its initiative to convene an international meeting on challenging and countering the narratives of terrorist groups.

Let me begin by thanking Australia for its commitment to a subject that is one of the most pressing threats to international peace and security today. This was an issue raised by the State visit just carried out by President Hollande to Australia. The horrific murders of the young American humanitarian worker Peter Kassig and 18 Syrians remind us once more of the cowardice of Daesh terrorists and of the need to combat them. More and more regions are being affected by terrorism, with groups and practices that flout every precept of law and humanity now being inflicted on new populations. Daesh constitutes an unprecedented threat to countries in the region but also to the rest of the world. Moreover, the threat has grown thanks to the proliferation of groups like Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya and Boko Haram in Nigeria. In addition, the situation remains fragile in the Sahel. The intervention of France in Mali alongside African forces and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali has significantly reduced the threat of terrorism, but it has not disappeared. Faced with this challenge, it is necessary to redouble our efforts. The responses are many. The fight against Daesh calls for a military response, which today takes the form of a coalition made up of a growing number of States. Just as it is doing in the Sahel, France is also fully playing its part in Iraq — as was just demonstrated by the destruction by a French air patrol of offensive Daesh positions in the environs of Kirkuk. France is in the process of boosting its aerial component. The action of the coalition in support of Iraqi forces has just served to break the siege of Baiji, including with the participation of Peshmerga forces. We are encouraged by the assessments that the military response has helped offset Daesh’s momentum on territorial expansion. However, this fight must also be a political one. Military action alone cannot sustainably address terrorism. Daesh in Iraq has thrived on the fragility of a State subject to divisions, mistrust among communities and instability. Prime Minister Al Abadi is now working to create the conditions for a reconciled Iraq that respects the rights of all. We support his efforts. The formation of an inclusive Government, the growing awareness of the concerns of Sunnis, the gradual resolution of disputes with the Kurdistan Regional Government and the normalization of relations with regional partners should be commended and encouraged. Similarly, in Syria, only a political transition at the national level will definitely overcome the scourge of Daesh, whose rise has been promoted and exploited by the regime in Damascus. Sanctions also help fight against the scourge of terrorism. In Libya, the Sanctions Committee on Al-Qaida has taken up a project to sanction Ansar Al-Sharia-Derna and Ansar Al-Sharia-Benghazi. Those sanctions should make it possible to signal the determination of the international community vis-à-vis terrorists, who cannot be regarded as interlocutors. This is also about encouraging all moderate forces in Libya to come together to present a common front against terrorism In general, we call for a more regular use of the sanctions regime against Al-Qaida so that the sanctions list better reflect the reality of the threat. This strong response to terrorism can be carried out only in the context of strict respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, which are essential to the effectiveness of our strategy in the short and long terms. Terrorism is evolving and directly threatens our societies thanks to the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters. Terrorists, including Daesh, rally people — often young people — to their cause. More than 15,000 fanatical individualshave thus joined as parties in the fight Syria and Iraq. Among them are the 376 French nationals, or people living in France. In total, more than 1,000 are involved in jihadist ranks in various ways. The fight against this phenomenon is a priority for France’s internal security. Last September, at a summit-level meeting, the Security Council adopted a resolution to combat this phenomenon (see S/PV.7272). Since then, France has expanded its national approach. On 4 November, my country adopted new measures in line with the recommendations set out in resolution 2178 (2014), with a view to preventing the exit of French individuals from our territory where there are serious reasons to believe that their movement was for a terrorist purpose. The law also helps fight against radicalization on the Internet, with full respect for the freedom of expression. We are also working to identify pathways that facilitate recruitment. But we must go further together. Presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23, which we adopted today, notes the need to scrupulously follow up in the fight against foreign terrorist fighters. This illustrates the importance of the international community strengthening its cooperation in respect of civil liberties. The text also emphasizes the importance of combating trafficking in oil and recalls the obligations of States in the fight against the financing of terrorism. That must be a priority area for all of us. Bahraini authorities organized a meeting on that subject on 9 November, which we welcome. Beyond those repressive measures, it is necessary that the international community examine the causes of radicalization and combat violent extremism. We must especially rein in terrorist propaganda  — and we should call it by its proper name. When it comes to Daesh, for example, it can never be repeated enough: that organization is neither a State nor Islamic. That is why we decided to use the more neutral term “Daesh”. We welcome the fact that today’s presidential statement urges the United Nations to consider how to better fight against the phenomenon of radicalization. That will be an aspect of a long-term strategy against terrorism, one in which France will remain resolutely committed.

I thank the representative of France for his country’s leading contributions to the efforts to combat terrorism in the Middle East and in the Islamic Maghreb, and in the Sahel in particular.

At the outset, Madam President, I should like to welcome you and commend you on your country’s presidency of the Security Council and your leadership. I also welcome the presence here of other Ministers, and I thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his briefing. I also thank for their briefings the Chairs of the Security Council Committees established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) and resolution 1373 (2001). The threat posed by the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front is constantly changing. These terrorist groups are armed with increasingly sophisticated weaponry and making significant territorial gains. They also make use of the income drawn from the illegal trade in oil, pillage and hostage-taking to fuel their macabre activities. They recruit throughout the world and spread their barbarous theology everywhere, including in Africa. Africa is also confronting terrorism and violent extremism. As has been noted, it teems with groups such as Boko Haram, Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Al-Sharia, the Signers in Blood Battalion, and Al-Shabaab. Despite their different geographic locations, these terrorist groups constitute a well- coordinated network in their actions across the globe. That is why, on 2 September, important decisions were taken at a summit meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council to strengthen the legal framework of the fight against terrorism and to establish an African arrest warrant for authors of and accomplices to terrorist activities and a mechanism for halting terrorist funding. If we are to eradicate the phenomenon of foreign fighters, we must attack its deep-rooted causes. The emergence of terrorism and violent extremism in Africa is nourished by widespread poverty and despair, and by youth unemployment in particular. Young people are easy prey indeed for terrorist groups, which enjoy significant resources from drug trafficking and other illicit activities. If the international community is to stop these activities, which seriously threaten security, it must support the youth development programmes and projects of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. To that end, Africa’s partners must provide ample technical and material assistance, in addition to the assistance provided by such United Nations entities as the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. For its part, Chad is playing its role in the fight against terrorism. Its resolute engagement in Mali, where we have paid and continue to pay the highest price, perfectly reflects our commitment. To conclude, we commend the adoption of presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23, and hope that it will help Member States to better implement resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014).

We all look forward to Chad’s initiative under its presidency next month on the connection between terrorism and crime in Africa.

I welcome you to the presidency of the Security Council, Madam. We thank the Secretary- General for his comprehensive statement and the Permanent Representatives of Australia and Lithuania for their briefings on the efforts of the Committees they lead in undertaking the tasks mandated by recent decisions of the Council. We continue to believe that the activities of those entities are an important contribution to strengthening the central coordinating role of the United Nations and the Security Council in international counter-terrorism cooperation. Two months, following the adoption of resolution 2178 (2014), aimed at cutting off the oxygen for all activities of foreign terrorist fighters, the Council has once again been compelled to focus on the problem of terrorism — a threat that is not going away. Posing a threat to all regions of the world, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Al-Nusra Front (ANF) and other terrorist groups have long been active in the Middle East. They have acquired additional capacities for their criminal activities due to the weakening of State institutions, courtesy of foreign intervention in no small measure, and to the support of various foreign sponsors. Moreover, so long as the ISIL and ANF extremists were fighting Government forces in Syria, certain States did not seem especially bothered. We believe that such double standards are unacceptable in the fight against terrorism. The report published recently by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, created by the Human Rights Council, explicitly notes that weapons and support provided from abroad to so-called moderate armed groups in Syria have time and again fallen into the hands of more radical elements, including ISIL. Extremists have enjoyed foreign financing, including through charitable organizations and private individuals. The document paints an appalling picture of the current consequences of such short-sighted — to put it mildly — activities, especially for civilians, including women and children. Leniency towards the activities of extremist groups has jeopardized the future of entire States, as is clear in the examples of Iraq, Syria and Libya. Lebanon, Yemen, Mali and the Central African Republic are also on the firing line. Terrorist activities on the Afghanistan- Pakistan border continue to be linked to Al-Qaida, as stated in the reports of the Monitoring Teams of the Committees established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) and resolution 1267 (1999). In that regard, we support focusing the efforts of the Security Council on combating the radicalization that fuels terrorism, the replication of terrorist ideology and violent extremism, and the use of the media and the Internet for terrorist purposes, and on banning incitement towards terrorism and countering the appeal of terrorist activities. It is vital that States pursue their efforts under the auspices of the United Nations system’s work in those areas. Presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23, adopted today, points us in the right direction. Another cause for concern is terrorist income, one of the most important sources of which is the illegal trade in Syrian and Iraqi oil. In Syria, jihadists are exploiting as many as 10 oil fields. ISIL is producing almost 30,000 barrels a day. In Iraq, that terrorist organization controls 14 oil fields and is exporting up to 50,000- 60,000 barrels a day. Terrorists’ total daily income from the oil trade is approaching $3 million. Moreover, air strikes on the oil facilities seized by the terrorists in Iraq and Syria have barely made a dent in the level of illegal sales. Objectively, they merely complicate the living conditions of people living in those regions. Oil tankers go about their business; makeshift pipelines are up and running; and shady dealers and middle-men are helping get crude oil onto the black market. The Security Council’s requirements of Member States, as set out in resolution 2170 (2014) seem to have gone unheeded — a situation that requires the Council’s focused attention. In that context, we cannot help but note that in April 2013 the European Union partially lifted the series of restrictions imposed on Syria and authorized the purchase of Syrian oil by non-State traders. In so doing, it indirectly facilitated the financial strengthening of ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front, which control the oil fields in north-eastern Syria. Brussels should acknowledge that. We are also troubled by reports of ISIL’s seizure of humanitarian assistance earmarked for needy Syrians. We must prevent situations in which humanitarian assistance is distributed under the black flag of the Islamic State, which strengthens its authority in territory under its control. Another worrisome issue is the growing battle capabilities of the terrorists, above all ISIL. They already have access to chemical weapons of mass destruction. There is much eyewitness testimony of their use by terrorist militants in Iraq and Syria. There is a genuine danger that they may gain access to the Libyan and Iraqi chemical arsenals. We believe that the Council must take a decisive stand on this issue and make it clear that the use of chemical weapons by whomsoever will carry consequences. In that regard, we regret that our delegation’s proposed draft presidential statement on chemical weapons in Syria was effectively blocked by a number of delegations, which sought to amend it for one purpose alone — to shift all the focus on issues related to the chemical demilitarization of Syria. The text in question was also omitted from the presidential statement adopted today. We stress that shielding terrorists at a time when they are becoming increasingly proficient at synthesizing, producing and using substances for military purposes is unacceptable and very dangerous. In the light of the new tasks assigned to the Security Council’s counter-terrorism bodies, the need for the subsidiary organs of the Council and its expert groups to comply in their work with existing procedures takes on particular importance. In that regard, we would like to reiterate that resolution 2178 (2014) sets out a commitment for airlines to provide passenger name records only in cases where individuals under sanction by the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011), concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities, have sought to leave or enter countries. Therefore, the instruction to the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) contained in today’s presidential statement to prepare for the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) an overall report on measures to monitor the movement of air passengers and on the preparation of the relevant recommendations, without tying it to a specific Security Council sanctions list, breaches the terms of resolution 2178 (2014). We welcome the role of CTED in providing assistance to the Counter-Terrorism Committee and commend the Directorate’s swift preparation of a preliminary analysis of the gaps in the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005) that make it harder for States to combat the threat of foreign terrorist fighters. We believe that the central focus of CTED under its updated mandate should remain to provide support to the CTC, monitoring the implementation of the previously mentioned resolutions and coordinating the provision of technical assistance to Member States.

I thank the representative of the Russian Federation for Russia’s support for the Security Council’s efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

I welcome Australia’s initiative in convening this debate to allow us to reflect on the role of international cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism. This year, we have been called upon to analyse and adopt concrete measures with regard to such phenomena, in particular within the context of the Security Council, which speaks for the collective responsibility of the international community to prevent and combat such threats to stability and international peace and security. We believe that the Security Council should be proactive in that context and must realize that working within the framework of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy presents us with a permanent challenge to join forces in support of combating and preventing that scourge. For its part, our country accepts that collective responsibility, and Chile has therefore ratified all the international conventions that are part of the United Nations legal framework relating to counter-terrorism. At the national level, we have launched a parliamentary discussion with respect to a new counter-terrorism law that would endow the Office of the Prosecutor with greater powers and additional means to investigate crimes of that nature. The new law will not lose sight of the essential balance that must exist between the prevention of terrorism and repression, and respect for the fundamental rights of all individuals. Such actions demonstrate our commitment to support the resolutions that the Council has adopted in this area, which require constant effort at the national level to ensure their effective implementation. Chile values the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate. We would like to highlight the quality of the collection and organization of the information that each State is required to provide in its reports. We hope that the exchange between States and the Committee will contribute to improving the efficiency of its internal functioning as well as serve to spotlight the areas where individual countries need to improve their legislative regimes. We believe that the Committee should continue to encourage the exchange of information. The establishment of committees of experts can be a useful tool for sharing best practices with respect to the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), as well as for identifying measures that will support the implementation of the recently adopted resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). In that regard, we stress the strengthening effect of the work of specialized organs within regional bodies, such as the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism of the Organization of American States. The atrocities committed by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaida, whose ranks include a large number of foreign combatants, should prompt us to analyse the root causes that have allowed those groups to disseminate their extremist narrative. We are concerned by the pull exerted on our young people by speeches that oppose the fundamental universal values that are shared by every civilization and culture. The measures adopted by the international community to combat extremist violence and terrorism are not intended to persecute or stigmatize any culture or religion. We believe that the prevention and suppression of terrorist acts should have priority, but that the treatment of such acts as crimes should not be the only means for addressing the phenomenon. Each society must ask itself why the existing tools have failed and why the terrorist narratives that we condemn have been able to emerge and flourish. Moreover, we need to ask why the international community and the affected countries have been unable to prevent terrorist groups such as ISIL, the Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaida from acquiring such power and why they have managed to seduce citizens of other countries to embark on the path of violence. That process of reflection should be undertaken collectively but also within each country, in the context of our distinct national realities and social values. Such an analysis should also take into account the gaps in inclusivity, tolerance and respect for diversity and identity in our societies. As President Bachelet pointed out in her statement before the Council in September (see S/PV.7272), we take heart from our belief that among the most effective tools in the fight against terrorism are education, the elimination of inequalities and work among the most disaffected groups of society. In that context, we propose that the Counter-Terrorism Committee should undertake a study to identify the social factors that favour the growth of terrorism and the attraction of the extremist narratives and terrorist groups for young people, with particular focus on the growth in the number of foreign terrorist fighters. Another crucial theme to be investigated is the financing behind criminal acts of that nature, an area that requires active cooperation. In that regard, we would like to draw particular attention to the work of the Sanctions Committees and their monitoring groups in the area of preventing trafficking in weapons and the freezing of assets that would otherwise be used for financing terrorist activities. We must also analyse the risks that terrorism and illicit activities imply for countries facing situations of protracted conflict and for post-conflict societies. In addition, both peacekeeping operations and political missions should more formally incorporate tools for preventing the rise of extreme violence. To conclude, we would like to reiterate our country’s solidarity with the victims of terrorism and their families, especially women and children. We extend our condolences to those who have been barbarously murdered by ISIL, most recently the humanitarian worker Peter Kassig. Chile will continue to support the fight against international terrorism and to promote human rights, because we are convinced that we will thereby contribute to the dignity, peace, stability and inclusive development of all our societies.

The United States deeply appreciates Australia’s leadership in advancing the global community’s response to terrorism and violent extremism. The group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) does not threaten only global security; the cruelty of that group and others associated with Al-Qaida threatens the values on which the United Nations was founded. Like other violent extremist groups, ISIL is the product of a brutal, nihilistic ideology that glorifies violence and death.The horrific massacres of Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Christians, Yazidis and other minorities demonstrate that ISIL spares no group from its murderous agenda. While continuing to terrorize and kill, ISIL is actively engaged in recruitment activities that have attracted significant numbers of foreign terrorist fighters, from dozens of nations around the world, to join them in Syria and Iraq in order to commit their terrorist acts. The actions of ISIL and the foreigners who have joined their ranks are despicable. Just this past Sunday, we were reminded of that horrific barbarity by ISIL’s murder of a humanitarian aid worker, Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig. ISIL terrorists  — probably from Western countries, and thus foreign terrorist fighters  — were seen once again in an ISIL video, along with their cohorts, participating in a cowardly and outrageous act targeting an innocent American humanitarian aid worker who wanted to do nothing more than provide help and comfort to the Syrian people. The spirit of goodness and service that burned so brightly in Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig is what binds humankind together, and it is that light and that same commitment to a better world that will ultimately prevail over the destruction and hate of ISIL. As we honour Abdul-Rahman’s service and sacrifice, we see other tragedies unfolding beyond Syria and Iraq. In Canada less than a month ago, violent extremists in Quebec and Ottawa killed Canadian soldiers and attempted to harm senior Government officials, and yesterday we witnessed a despicable terrorist attack on worshippers in a synagogue in Jerusalem that resulted in the murder of four innocent civilians, including American citizens, as well as injuries to many more. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Those incidents, along with ISIL’s unrelenting bloodshed and brutality in Iraq and Syria, remind us that we must do more to counter violent extremism and stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. The Security Council has recognized that countering this threat will require the international community to develop new tools, approaches and ways to harness our collective efforts. The results of the Council’s recent efforts to respond, including presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23 adopted today, provide an important framework for addressing the threat in all its complexity. In September, the Council adopted resolution 2178 (2014) at a summit presided over by President Obama (see S/PV.7272) that focused on one aspect of this menace, the global flow of foreign terrorist fighters to and from the conflict zones involved. The wide support that resolution 2178 (2014) received, with 105 sponsors, demonstrates the international community’s solidarity in meeting this threat. The United States will continue to work with all of its partners to counter the flow of foreign terrorist fighters into the region, and we stand ready to help others do the same. Over the past year, we have worked with Western Europe, the Balkans, North Africa and the Gulf States to press for greater cooperation on information-sharing, border security, law enforcement, capacity-building, counter-messaging, and countering violent extremism and terrorist financing. We are pleased to be seeing stronger counter-terrorism laws and more terrorists brought to justice in the Balkans; increased security cooperation in North Africa; terrorist financing reforms in the Gulf; and closer cooperation with Western European partners. But more must be done, and as President Obama has emphasized, all of us must help our partners build their capacity to meet the evolving threat of terrorism, including countering the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and violent extremism in the most vulnerable communities. The Global Counterterrorism Forum’s first-ever set of international good practices for a more effective response to the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon is a good guide. Preventing foreign terrorist fighters from reaching Syria and Iraq, and then slipping back across any of our borders, is a critical element in strategies for degrading and ultimately defeating ISIL. The Security Council has recognized that tackling the ISIL challenge will require using other tools, including financial measures and sanctions, as we resolved in August in the adoption of resolution 2170 (2014). Today’s presidential statement once again addresses the importance of choking off all financial support for ISIL that funds its violent terrorist acts and its recruitment. In coming months, the Council should consider whether additional actions and measures are needed to ensure that ISIL does not use oil, kidnapping ransoms, banks, Iraq and Syria’s cultural property, donations and other means to finance its murderous campaign. We welcome and value the important work of the United Nations counter-terrorism bodies, including the work of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team established pursuant to resolution 1526 (2004), aimed at more effectively countering terrorist financing, recruitment and travel, and the efforts of the Executive Directorate of the Counter- Terrorism Committee to identify legal and capacity gaps in Member States. Beyond the official counter-terrorism body of the United Nations, there should be greater integration, where appropriate, of counter-terrorism into the Organization’s other related efforts. The Council has now firmly established the importance of countering violent extremism, and we reiterate the central importance of such international efforts to counter and respond to toxic, violent ideologies of terrorism. We must work together to de-legitimize ISIL’s hate and violence, and we must expose its dark, false and deadly vision. In that regard, we particularly welcome the recent efforts of the Global Engagement and Resilience Fund, whose governing board met this week and approved an accelerated funding mechanism aimed at enabling the Fund to provide small grants to community-based organizations for projects to counter ISIL’s violent extremism. The challenges we face in countering terrorism could not be more important, and so it is fitting that today the Council has adopted an important framework to help guide additional efforts. Now we must do more. As we have heard from Council members today, we are united in the face of this threat to our security and values. We must turn outrage into action, we must do so together and we must do so decisively.

I thank the representative of the United States for the leadership that his country is showing in countering the threat of terrorism. I would also like to convey Australia’s deep condolences for the barbaric murder of Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig, a brutal act that highlights the severe dangers that humanitarian workers and other civilians are facing in Syria at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. I would like to thank all Council members for their statements and contributions. I should inform all concerned that we will carry on the open debate right through the lunch hour, as we have a very large number of speakers. I now give the floor to the representative of India.

On behalf of my delegation, Madam President, I would like to congratulate you and Australia for your successful hosting of the Group of 20 summit and of our Prime Minister’s bilateral visit to your country. I would also like to thank you for organizing today’s open debate on international cooperation on combating terrorism and violent extremism. I compliment you on your circulation of a useful and well-structured concept note (S/2014/787, annex), which will help us in the debate. At the outset, we would like to assert that there can be no justification for terrorism and that the United Nations must demonstrate zero tolerance if we are to successfully counter its threat. The international community is facing unprecedented challenges from terrorism, which threatens to endanger the very foundation of democratic societies. Resolution 2178 (2014) represents a good beginning to the Security Council’s response to one dimension of that threat. The resolution’s impact will depend on how it is implemented by Member States, keeping in mind their obligations under Article 25 of the Charter of the United Nations. Much will also depend on how the Council addresses Member States’ compliance with the resolution’s provisions. Its credibility as an effective and empowered body will be tested by the way it oversees their implementation. The concept note brings out the immediate context around resolution 2178 (2014). Regarding the first and second groups of issues in the note, whereby Member States are asked to speak on national experience and data collection, we would like to point out that a wealth of such information is already available to the Council. In India, we have used grassroots-level local communities and committees for outreach and feedback on counter- terrorism and have formulated appropriate counter- terror narratives. Based on our collection of data on the travel and transit of foreign terrorist fighters, we feel there is a need to enhance international cooperation in disrupting the travel of such elements. The phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters is not a recent one. The issue, therefore, is not so much the need to collect more information, but what the Council proposes to do with such information. We believe that the Council needs to act robustly using the instruments of law and the information available to it to counter terrorism and maintain international peace and security. In that context, we urge that the Council add its collective voice to the early conclusion of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism, so that Member States are legally obliged, under Article 25 of the Charter, to either prosecute or extradite terrorists. With respect to the third basket identified in the concept note, which is the role of United Nations entities in countering terrorism, we would recall that during the recent review of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy, it was stated by the Secretariat that there were as many as 31 separate entities in the United Nations family dealing with this issue. However, it is a matter of concern that there is no single point or coordinator accountable to the States Members of the United Nations for the activities of these various entities. This, we believe, must be rectified urgently. There are at least three important observations in the concept note that we welcome. One of them relates to the infrastructure of terrorism, which involves both physical structures as well as financial and ideological wellsprings. Since this infrastructure does not exist in a vacuum, it is an inescapable conclusion that Member States have an obligation to act swiftly to prevent their sovereign territory from being used by terrorists. No Member State can hope to be immune to the threat of such terrorism, and the infrastructure of terrorism therefore needs to be erased urgently if we are to avoid a doomsday scenario. Secondly, we fully agree with the observation relating to the increasingly sophisticated use of technology and communications to commit ever more barbaric acts of terror, based on our own horrendous experience of 26 November 2008 in Mumbai, involving an attack carried out by foreign terrorist fighters in the full glare of the international media. One of the fighters was apprehended by our authorities and prosecuted and penalized through the due process of law. That was the first time that we confronted the use of Voice over Internet Protocol to direct terrorist acts. We believe that if we are serious about countering this challenge in an effective manner, we must agree on the necessary adjustments to be made in the way that the global Internet infrastructure is currently managed in order to counter the exploitation of the Internet by terrorists. Thirdly, I would stress the challenge posed by terrorists to United Nations peacekeepers, specifically in the Golan Heights and in Mali. Unless effectively deterred, such threats will only increase in number and scope. In the case of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, it has been alleged that the foreign terrorist fighters who attacked United Nations peacekeepers belong to the Al-Nusra Front, which is proscribed by the Security Council as a terrorist group. We call on the Council to take urgent and visible steps to use its authority to investigate, prosecute and penalize the perpetrators of such terrorist acts. A clear obligation for all Member States to act against foreign terrorist fighters who attack United Nations peacekeepers should become an integral part of the peacekeeping mandates approved by the Council. Finally, it is not clear to us as to what are the working procedures applied within the Council when it deliberates on how to counter terrorism, which is becoming the single biggest threat to the maintenance of international peace and security. We feel that it would benefit the Council to have regular interactive sessions with Member States to address these issues. Such an innovation would go a long way towards offsetting the widely held perception that the Council uses different standards to deal with terrorism. In conclusion, we would reiterate that the fight against terrorism has to be unrelenting and fought across all fronts. The immediate lesson all of us must draw is that foreign terrorist fighters and the spectre of terrorism cannot be dealt with through selective approaches and that there can be no justification for terrorism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Saudi Arabia.

At the outset, let me say that I am honoured to speak to the Council today on behalf of the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. I would like to express my gratitude to Australia’s Foreign Minister, The Honourable Julie Bishop, for leading this important meeting on international cooperation on combating terrorism, including addressing the interrelated threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters and violent extremism. I should like also to thank the Chair of the sanctions Committee on Al-Qaida, Ambassador Gary Quinlan, and the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė, for their comprehensive statements today and for all of their valuable work. We also welcome the presidential statement adopted today (S/PRST/2014/23). Over the past decade, terrorist movements such as Al-Qaida have transformed from a single organization into a network of autonomous but affiliated dispersed and continually growing groups. These groups have exploited the lack of stability in different regions around the world in order to gain ground and replenish their ranks. Terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Al-Qaida and Boko Haram have targeted anyone and everyone who refuses to adhere to their violent and unfounded ideology. We stress that the practices of terrorist groups such as ISIS, which falsely claim affiliation to Islam and seek to justify their criminal acts as being carried out for its cause, have nothing to do with Islam or its principles, which call for justice, equality, compassion, freedom of faith and coexistence. In this context, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemns and rejects all attempts to associate Islam or any Islamic country, any race, religion, culture or nationality with terrorism. We stress the importance of the fact that religious war is the misguided refuse of extremists who cannot build or create anything and therefore promote only fanaticism and hatred. We are happy to see that many countries, including today in the Council, have recalled this dissociation between such terrible acts and beliefs of terror, and Islam. Terrorist and extremist ideology requires fertile ground to grow. Hence confronting the symptoms of terrorism without dealing with their root causes cannot be sufficient for a long-lasting solution to confront violent radicalization. We therefore call for a proper understanding of the political, social and economic context and environment that breeds such violent extremism. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism through, inter alia, developing an appropriate, mutually agreed definition of terrorism, exchanges of information and capacity-building, and, in addition, addressing the root causes of terrorism, such as prolonged, unresolved conflicts, the continued suppression and marginalization of peoples, and the denial of their rights to self-determination in situations of foreign occupation. We echo in this regard what the Secretary-General said in the context of the general debate: “Missiles kill terrorists, but only good governance kills terrorism”. We underscore the need for a comprehensive approach in order to respond effectively to the complex problem of terrorism. The OIC affirms the importance of bringing to justice any person who supports, facilitates, participates or attempts to participate in the financing, planning or commission of terrorist acts. There are many types of terrorism, and the OIC strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations committed by whomsoever and wherever. We must draw the Council’s attention to Israel’s acts of aggression against the Palestinian people, which constitute war crimes and State-sponsored terrorism. We emphasize the importance of putting an end to such acts. We also draw the Council’s attention to the escalating violence committed by extremist terrorist Israeli settlers against the Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory. We call on the international community to compel Israel, the occupying Power, to prosecute and bring to justice all those responsible for such crimes. We reiterate our call on the international community to include the leaders of the settlers and the extremist settler communities, including the “Price Tag” and “Hilltop Youth” factions, on the list of terrorists and criminals wanted for international prosecution. It is no exaggeration to say that humankind’s future depends on us uniting against those who would divide us along the fault lines of tribe or sect, race or religion. We must keep up our guard against those who use the fight against terrorism or infiltrate extreme movements to serve and widen their political agenda. Such acts will only breed more terrorism. With your permission, Madam President, I will now continue in my national capacity as representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (spoke in Arabic) The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed resolution 2170 (2014), having co-sponsored it, and resolution 2178 (2014), as both resolutions set out effective steps that seek to defeat the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters. Both resolutions also include elements to counter violent extremism and are in line with the positive track record of the Kingdom in terms of initiatives to combat terrorism in all its forms. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to take initiatives and effective steps to combat the threat of foreing terrorist fighters. On 3 February 2014, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia issued decrees that would penalize all those who have participated or intend to participate in fighting outside the Kingdom. The decrees also criminalize all religious and extremist or other groups that are listed and classified as terrorist organizations domestically, regionally or internationally. On many occasions, the Kingdom has warned of the exacerbation of the situation in Syria, but the international community has remained silent, failing to heed those warnings in the desired manner. Our region today is facing serious developments as a result of such indifference and reluctance. As a result, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took effective and rapid steps to respond to the threat and danger of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). We called for a meeting on 12 September 2014 that included the participation of many countries, including the United States of America. The meeting issued a statement that clarifies the risks and threats of ISIL and other extremist organizations, referring to the importance of facing such an imminent threat in a collective manner through an integrated international coalition that would rescue the region and the entire world. The threat of foreign terrorist fighters is not limited to countries where they are taking action; it goes beyond the borders of those countries to have a negative impact on the entire world. Therefore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is of the firm conviction that regional and international cooperation is of paramount importance to facing this scourge. Combating foreign terrorist fighters, particularly extremist groups that exploit religion, must not be limited to the security level. It should also include uprooting the ideology and financial support that such phenomena rely on. Many scholars and intellectuals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continue to warn against the dangers of distorted ideologies that drive terrorism. The Council of Senior Religious Scholars of the Kingdom recently issued a statement that affirms that travel to areas of sedition and conflict is criminal and anti-Islamic, and therefore prohibited. The statement describes those who incite such acts as preachers of evil who should be punished. Furthermore, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia described the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant as one of the biggest threats that Islam is facing today. We hope that Islamic and religious entities in other countries will follow suit and issue statements aimed at standing up to misleading thought and narratives. We underscore the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to facing terrorism that is not linked to religion, ethnicity, race or color. In the meantime, we emphasize that denying the Palestinian people their legitimate rights while Israel continues its occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories is one of the main reasons that violence and extremism has spread in our region. The crisis in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the continued provocation by Israel, the occupying Power, and the criminal acts of the settlers are all proof of that fact. Extremist groups find in such acts a pretext to continue with their ideology and violent behaviour. They use this pretext to say that they are working to end occupation, injustice and aggression. The spread of violence and extremism and the emergence of organizations like ISIL and others come about because of the existence of policies and practices that lead to marginalization and sectarianism. Those policies are practices by some countries and regimes in the region, in addition to the fact that the international community fails to act or put an end to the policies and practices of the Syrian regime against its own people, have created fertile ground for terrorist groups in Syria. We call upon the Security Council to adopt a resolution that would list all terrorist groups and organizations in Syria on the sanctions list, including Hizbullah militias, the Abu Al-Abbas faction and the Ahl Al-Haq groups. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we continue to combat terrorism in all its forms and at all levels. The Council should take decisive positions that reflect the will of the international community so that we can end and eliminate this scourge.

I now give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.

We thank the Australian presidency for convening today’s debate and circulating a very solid and substantive concept note to help us prepare for it (S/2014/787, annex). Today’s debate has once again highlighted the strong nexus between terrorism and violent extremism. Ideologies, strategies and operations of terrorists and extremists overlap. In fact, it is the violent extremism in one form or the other that fuels terrorism. Both terrorism and violent extremism defy State writ, disrupt civil order and create anarchy to incite hatred in order to execute their toxic agenda. Violent acts justifiably require fitting military offensive responses. We must also develop national capacities to deconstruct those two phenomena to comprehend the conditions in which terrorism and violent extremism thrive. The underlying causes may include political and economic grievances, ethnic and religious tensions and a sense of relevant deprivation, real or imagined. We need to understand the mindset of the masterminds behind terrorism and violent extremism, counter their narratives, delegitimize their ideologies, devalue tools they use to make their messages attractive and degrade the means they use to recruit and motivate followers. We should also know what impels individuals to take violent action. Comprehension, however, does not mean acquiescence or condonance of their heinous crimes. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. With the rise of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the interflows of transnational terrorist groups and foreign terrorist fighters, the broader Middle East region and scores of countries beyond have become more volatile and more vulnerable. The United Nations has taken timely measures; now they must be implemented faithfully. Our national experience is that there should be zero tolerance for terrorists and violent extremists. That is why for the past several months we have been prosecuting the intense counter-terrorist Operation Zarb-e-Azb to take out terrorists, dismantle their networks, staunch their flow inside and outside borders, and destroy their support system. We have learnt that hardcore terrorists abuse the name of religion to commit crimes against civilians and mistake overtures for dialogue as appeasement. At the same time, we continue to make our efforts to bring misled moderate youth back to the national mainstream, deradicalize them and reintegrate them. This requires both political idiom and economic incentives. For that purpose, we are investing in the social, educational, religious and economic sectors. Violent extremism is, regrettably, infecting all societies. Countering violent extremism requires strategies and solutions suited to the relevant environments. A one-size-fits all approach does not work. Our national experience in countering violent extremism has brought forth the following lessons. Best practices need to be adapted to local conditions. The participation of foreign actors is generally perceived with suspicion at the local level. Efforts to counter violent extremism must involve local actors, preferably from the same community, and should have demonstrable results. Young people respond positively to economic programmes and projects; direct advocacy is less effective. We recommend the pursuit of a rule of law and a due process approach, and esnure access to justice. We should avoid exacerbating ideological and religious divisions and focus on the criminality of terrorism and violent extremism, and not on their ideological rationales. Community leaders should be involved in countering violent extremism to use appropriate platforms for mediation and intercession. With respect to foreign terrorist fighters, our Government has intensified efforts to implement resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). In this regard, real-time information-sharing and effective coordination among all relevant national departments are most critical. Pakistan welcomes the role played by the United Nations and its agencies in counter-terrorism efforts. We view the United Nations as a facilitator and provider of technical expertise in areas identified by the Member States. We support the idea of a roster of experts being developed by the United Nations Centre for Counter- Terrorism (UNCCT). Experts well-versed in local culture and environment can act as a focal point in the United Nations system. The Council should weigh the benefits of creating a new post of special representative on extremism in order to synergize the work of the United Nations. Measures to prevent extremism and violent terrorism should be mainstreamed. Most conflicts today are being driven by extremism, terrorism and asymmetric warfare. The United Nations peacekeeping missions from have to deal time to time with terrorism and transnational crime, but it would be prudent to keep peacekeeping missions focused on their primary mandate of keeping peace and protecting civilians. Counter-terrorism is too broad a brief to be neatly integrated or subsumed into peacekeeping. We thank the leadership of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, the Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the UNCCT for their influential work in countering terrorism.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic.

I now give the floor to the representative of Iraq.

I should like to begin by thanking Australia and by expressing my gratitude to Ms. Julie Bishop for presiding over this meeting of the Security Council. I also thank Ambassador Gary Quinlan, in his capacity as Chair of the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. We are grateful to Australia for organizing this meeting and for contributing to the fight against terrorism. We believe that to be the most significant and direct threat to the security of people around the world. Terrorism has repercussions for both international peace and for security. I also thank the Ambassador of Lithuania in her capacity as Chair of the Security Council Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) for her considerable efforts. And I would like to thank the members of the Security Council for having adopted presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23 earlier today. Iraq today is on the front lines against terrorism. Each day, that confrontation exacts a heavy toll. We are extremely concerned at the fact that the terrorist ranks continue to swell, now numbering approximately 15,000 individuals from more than 80 different countries. Those individuals are active on the ground in both Iraq and Syria. Those statistics point to the existence in a number of States of international networks that are very well organized and meticulously coordinated. Those networks facilitate the transfer of foreign terrorist fighters across borders. We would therefore like to invite the Security Council to take firm measures against the organizations and States that authorize such networks to exist within their territory and that facilitate the transit of foreign terrorist fighters across their borders. We would also like to invite the Security Council to fully and strictly implement the provisions of resolution 2178 (2014) and demand its implementation by all States. The terrorist acts perpetrated against Iraqi civilians clearly illustrate the brutality and savagery of the terrorist group called Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has once again shown that it is nothing more than a killing machine that is willing to commit any type of crime against those who do not share its extremist takfiri views. Daesh killed more than 1,700 Iraqi civilians in June at Camp Speicher; executed hundreds of Iraqi Sunni tribespeople, including some from the Al-Bunemer tribe; they also killed and displaced members of the Christian and Yazidi minority groups and Shiite, Turkmen, and Kurdish minorities. It also sold young Yazidi girls into slavery. That provides ample proof that that terrorist group, with its absolutist rhetoric and view of the world, constitutes a threat to all of the religious and ethnic segments of Iraqi society. That is why the Iraqi armed forces, the Peshmerga, the police, popular movements and heroic tribal factions have responded to the call by the legitimate Iraqi Government and the religious authorities to fight against the Daesh terrorist entity. Drying up the sources of terrorist financing is a key step in the fight against terrorism. As long as ISIL is able to sell oil, it will maintain its presence in Iraq. We deplore the fact that Iraqi and non-Iraqi individuals from countries in the region and even European States have been involved in the illegal trade in oil, buying it from Daesh. Iraq welcomes the Manama declaration, adopted at the international meeting on combating terrorist financing held recently in Bahrain. Iraq would like to once again thank and recognize the efforts made by all Member States to fight terrorism. It reiterates that terrorism is an persistent global phenomenon, and greater solidarity and coordination are required in order to eradicate it. Iraq believes that drying up the sources of terrorist financing is a crucial element in that fight. Success in defeating terrorism remains dependent on efforts by all Member States to implement resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter, and all relevant resolutions that seek to address the root causes of terrorism in order to eliminate it. For its part, the Government of Iraq is engaging in intensive diplomatic activities and efforts to mobilize Arab, regional and international cooperation, as we believe that coordination and cooperation with Arab countries and countries of the region are essential in order to implement the provisions of international resolutions on counter-terrorism efforts. The Arab and international actions undertaken to eliminate Daesh and affiliated terrorist organizations in Iraq must also combat that entity in Syria, given the nature of terrorism, which knows no geographic borders, in order to deny it the resources that it requires to reorganize itself. The report of the Monitoring Team (see S/2014/815) submitted pursuant to resolution 2170 (2014) and its recommendations are very important. We would like to invite the Security Council to implement those recommendations and to ensure that Member States comply with them. Finally, we would like to thank the international coalition led by the United States, which includes over 40 Arab, regional and European countries, for their efforts and their support to Iraq in its fight against terrorism.

As Minister Bishop said earlier, we stand by Iraq in its fight against terrorism and violent extremism, which is having such a serious impact in Iraq. I thank the representative of Iraq for his very important acknowledgment of the assistance that is being provided by the international community to the efforts in his country. I now give the floor to the representative of Brazil.

I thank you and your delegation, Madam President, for organizing this open debate. In the face of new and evolving trends in international terrorism. This meeting constitutes a timely opportunity to exchange views on international cooperation to combat terrorism and violent extremism. Allow me to recall that there is no better forum in which to consider this issue than the United Nations. Terrorism is a global threat and must be treated as such. Terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and manifestations. The repudiation of terrorism is enshrined in the Brazilian Constitution as a guiding principle of our foreign policy. As a country with no history of terrorist acts, Brazil has been attentive to prevention, both domestically and at the regional and subregional levels. Prevention is always the best policy, including in the context of fighting terrorism. We are facing a multidimensional threat, which will be efficiently countered only through an approach that takes into consideration its underlying causes, in particular those associated with protracted social, political, economic and cultural exclusion. As resolution 2178 (2014) acknowledges, repressive measures cannot eliminate terrorism by themselves. Border control, air and maritime security and law enforcement may be the more visible features of our common endeavour, but they can become ineffective or even counterproductive if not coupled with efforts to address structural factors conducive to terrorism. That comprehensive perspective informs the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which we support. In that context, I would also like to recall the importance of the dialogue among religions and cultures. Initiatives such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations can, by seeking to promote tolerance and mutual respect, contribute to dispelling stereotypes that tend to associate terrorism with specific cultures, religions or ethnic groups. We must all be wary of dangerous rhetoric and narratives that fuel xenophobia and prejudice. I commend those Governments around the world that have spoken out against such distortions. International cooperation is an essential tool for our strategy to fight terrorism. Many countries have the political will to implement the pertinent resolutions issued by the Security Council, but lack the capacity to do so. As a member of the United Nations Counter- Terrorism Centre Advisory Board, Brazil welcomes the fact that capacity-building for Member States and regional organizations will remain a priority for the Centre. Security Council resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) and this debate on how to better implement them can be considered significant strides in this Organization’s efforts to counter terrorism. The further development of international law would also bring new impetus to our endeavour. Brazil strongly supports the adoption of a comprehensive counter- terrorism convention, on the understanding that it would complement existing instruments, provide a legal framework and direct our joint efforts in a more coordinated way. We insist on the importance of ensuring that all efforts to counter terrorism are consistent with the Charter of the United Nations, international refugee and humanitarian law and all other norms of international law. The fight against terrorism must also be undertaken with full respect for human rights, including the right to privacy. The protection of that right is crucial in safeguarding individuals against the abuse of power. Without it there can be no true freedom of opinion and expression, nor can there be effective democracy. In that context, I would like to call attention to the recently issued report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, contained in document A/69/397. In it, Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson examined the use of mass digital surveillance for counter-terrorism purposes and considered the implications of bulk access technology for the right to privacy. Brazil reiterates that if counter- terrorism measures are undertaken at the expense of international law or respect for human rights, their legitimacy will be compromised, rendering them ineffective. As the Secretary-General recently noted, “Efforts to prevent and combat terrorism will fail if the international community creates more terrorists than it defeats by its actions” (A/68/841, para. 112). The most pressing root causes of violent extremism and radicalization are of a political nature. Allow me to quote King Abdullah of Jordan, who addressed this Council immediately after the adoption of resolution 2178 (2014): “We cannot underestimate the recruitment power emanating from a sense of exclusion from the enjoyment of basic human rights” (S/PV.7272, p. 11). One of the side effects of our collective failure to deal with ongoing crises in the Middle East, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is the dissemination of extremism and radicalization. Overcoming terrorism necessarily involves diplomatic efforts to bring peace, founded on justice, to conflicts that directly or indirectly fuel terrorist agendas. I would also like to recall that the Security Council has a duty to condemn terrorism and to prevent its spread in a coherent and universal manner, that is, wherever and whenever international terrorism strikes. Let me reaffirm the Brazilian position, according to which there are no excuses for terrorist acts. We reiterate our commitment to a multidimensional response to the challenges posed by terrorism and remain convinced that cooperation and dialogue within the United Nations will enhance our capacity to counter this dangerous matter. As with many items on our agenda, we are convinced that we will succeed only if we join efforts on the basis of shared values and enhanced multilateral cooperation.

I now give the floor to the representative of Denmark.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic countries: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and my own country, Denmark. The Nordic countries stand firmly behind the United Nations fight against terrorism. We welcome today’s discussion and the Security Council’s focus on countering violent extremism and terrorism through resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). International terrorism, such as that practised by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Qaida and their affiliates, is a serious threat to international peace and security. The horrendous crimes committed by those groups continue to cause immense human suffering in Syria and Iraq. As underlined by many previous speakers, other terrorist groups are causing similar suffering in other countries and regions. We need a broad approach in order to defeat ISIL and other terrorist groups. We need to support an inclusive political process in Iraq, and we need a strong political engagement to solve the conflict in Syria. We must also continue to contribute extensively with humanitarian assistance to the millions in desperate need of food, shelter and medical care. The Nordic countries fully support the crucial work being carried out by United Nations entities on the ground, not least by the United Nations Special Representative, Staffan de Mistura. Our common fight against terrorism must always comply with international law, including human rights law and, as applicable, humanitarian law. Terrorists’ use of social media as a means of communication is of great concern and must be countered without infringing on freedom of expression. Censorship is not a solution. Young people from many different countries, including the Nordic countries — some of them only teenagers  — are being attracted by ISIL’s effective propaganda. The Nordic countries therefore strongly support enhanced international cooperation to strengthen existing border controls and information-sharing aimed at stopping the recruitment and flow of foreign terrorist fighters, as well as terrorist financing, into Syria and Iraq. Relevant legislation needs to be adopted and fully applied. Information must be shared effectively. Likewise, we must address the issue of foreign terrorist fighters returning to their country of origin or traveling to other areas of conflict. We are convinced that terrorism and the problem of foreign terrorist fighters can be defeated only through deradicalization efforts — that is, by addressing the complex and diverse motivations for radicalization and violent extremism. Preventing the spread of terrorism requires local efforts on a global scale. The role of women as agents for conflict prevention needs to be fully acknowledged and further explored. Early preventive efforts are essential to understand the the motivations for radicalization and recruitment to terrorist organizations. Civil society organizations, religious leaders, social workers and teachers are examples of those who can make a difference on the ground. The narrative of terrorism is that of hate and intolerance. Countering that narrative and creating resilience is essential. The Nordic countries believe that our strongest counter-narrative is a firm commitment to democracy, human rights and equality. We consider those values end goals in themselves, as well as key drivers of economic development. They are the cornerstones of inclusive societies in which no one should feel marginalized or be attracted to violent extremism. The Nordic countries place great value on United Nations efforts to facilitate information-sharing and the exchange of best practices. We strongly support the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and other efforts to enhance the capacity of States to counter terrorism within the rule of law. We support United Nations efforts to explore additional ways to counter violent extremism and terrorism. Finally, on behalf of the Nordic countries, I wish to express our appreciation to Australia for taking the initiative to arrange this timely debate.

I now give the floor to the representative of Turkey.

I wish to thank the Australian presidency for organizing today’s debate. Turkey is convinced that effective international cooperation, with the United Nations playing a central role, is key to addressing the threat posed by terrorism. In that regard, the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy ‑ which was reviewed for the fourth time in June ‑ presents, with its four pillars, a solid base and valuable tools for building cooperation. Turkey has actively participated in and contributed to the projects of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre since its inception, and we have stated our will to participate in its new project on foreign terrorist fighters. We also welcomed resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). Resolution 2178 (2014), which Turkey co-sponsored, stresses the importance of international cooperation in countering the threat of foreign terrorist fighters. Turkey is taking all possible necessary national, regional and international steps to counter that threat. In fact, in order to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from reaching the conflict areas, we reinforced security measures long before the adoption of those Council resolutions. Those measures include enhanced passenger screening and security checks in regions adjacent to the Syrian border. As a result, 7,420 individuals from more than 80 countries have been added to the no-entry list and 1,050 individuals have been deported. Since 2012 measures at the border have been tightened because of increased smuggling attempts from the Syrian side, and during the first eight months of 2014, seizures of smuggled oil in our country’s seven border provinces amounted to 20 million litres. Turkey is fully determined to fight this threat. However, we cannot do it alone. The flow of foreign terrorist fighters can be stopped only if partners act in a spirit of cooperation. The battle should start in the source countries. Al-Qaida and other violent movements with similar ideology, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Al-Nusra Front, are a serious threat to Turkey. Turkey designated ISIL a terrorist organization under its previous name in 2005 and revised that designation to reflect its new name in October 2013. When we confront the risks and threats currently presented by extremist groups, it is important not to lose our focus on the root causes of the problem. Unresolved conflicts have become fields of operation for terrorist organizations, and they are a magnet for foreign terrorist fighters. Moreover, the process of ISIL’s evolution from a terrorist group born out of the ashes of Al-Qaida in Iraq into an insurgent terrorist army controlling territory and sources in Syria and Iraq became possible because, as we have long warned, it benefitted from the political, social and economic alienation of the masses. Our long and painful struggle against terrorism has taught us that this scourge cannot be defeated by hard security measures alone. For sustainable solutions, there is an absolute requirement to counter the spread of the radical ideologies that lead individuals to embrace violence and terrorism. In particular, any attempt to affiliate terrorism with any religion or ethnic group is utterly wrong and would in fact play into the terrorists’ hands. In Turkey, for example, Friday sermons are harmonized by our religious affairs authority to stress the message of peace in Islam. Our Head of Religious Affairs has also denounced ISIL’s actions, emphasizing that they cannot be explained by Islam. I should also mention that the Turkish police, beyond their national efforts, also run extensive training programmes on counter-radicalization for countries in the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia. In conclusion, I wish to underline once again that coordinated international efforts underlining solidarity and the leading role of the United Nations are of paramount importance for effectively combating the threat posed by terrorists. The international community should work vigorously to create an atmosphere of common understanding, based on shared values among nations of different faiths.

Australia wishes to recognize Ambassador Çevik for his leadership in chairing the important review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in June. I now give the floor to the representative of Hungary.

I would like to thank Australia for convening this open debate on counter- terrorism. While I fully support the statement to be delivered later by the observer of the European Union, I wish to add a few observations in my national capacity. To combat and uproot terrorism we must apply a broad spectrum of economic, financial, social, educational, administrative and legal measures — and force, if necessary. Much has been said on those aspects today. Right now, I would like to focus on some legal elements, particularly concerning accountability for crimes committed by terrorist actors. All who commit criminal acts or acts of terror  — or who merely think about joining a terrorist group  — must be aware that the day when they have to give account for the crimes committed will inevitably come. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted in 2013, “Terrorism festers where conflicts are endemic and where human rights, human dignity and human life are not protected and impunity prevails” (S/PV.6900, p. 2). Based on that often-repeated observation, Hungary appreciates the robust measures and comprehensive approach taken by the Security Council in resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). My country also commends the Council’s stronger focus on accountability in the fight against terrorism. Resolution 2170 (2014) reinforces the concept that widespread or systematic attacks directed against any civilian populations because of their ethnic or political background, religion or belief may constitute a crime against humanity, and it emphasizes the importance of accountability. It also urges all States to cooperate and bring to justice those who perpetrate, organize or sponsor terrorist acts of any kind. Those two resolutions have already become important reference points and a mobilizing force for accountability, as we have seen in the recommendations contained in the newly published report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic on the activities of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). However, the Commission of Inquiry seems to be convinced that besides domestic action and regional international cooperation, as outlined in two resolutions, international accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, should also be engaged. That buttresses the requests that the Council has already heard on the need to act decisively when accountability is in jeopardy and, as the Secretary-General has put it, impunity prevails. Furthermore, we have no reason to doubt that the fact-finding mission requested by the Human Rights Council in its resolution S-22/1 will find alarming circumstances related to ISIL activities in Iraq. Iraq and the international community will therefore have to ensure ISIL’s accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against, in particular, women, children and religious and ethnic minorities.

I now give the floor to the representative of Germany.

I would like to thank you, Madam President, for convening today’s debate. Germany, like so many others, is deeply concerned about the threat that terrorism and violent extremism pose to our societies. Germany is therefore strongly engaged in countering that threat both abroad and at home. We contribute to support for the Iraqi Government as well as the people affected by the crises in Iraq and Syria. That includes immediate responses to the humanitarian crises and structural support to neighbouring countries that are hosting Syrian refugees, to help prevent further destabilization of the region. Those efforts were at the heart of the conference on the Syrian refugee situation held in Berlin on 28 October. An inclusive political process in Syria is a prerequisite for successfully combating the so-called Islamic State, and we therefore also support ongoing United Nations efforts for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Another important aspect is our military assistance in the fight against the Islamic State and its associates, following the Iraqi Government’s request for international support. I share the threat assessment presented in the Secretary-General’s statement as well as in the concept note for today’s debate (S/2014/787, annex). I would therefore like to elaborate on some practical measures that Germany has taken to counter terrorism. In Germany we currently have Salafist followers, numbering more than 6,000 individuals, who promote a society governed by a fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic rules. Approximately 450 radicalized German Islamists have travelled to Iraq and Syria, posing a threat there as well as on their possible return to Germany. Whenever operable information is available in time, our existing legal framework allows us to prevent the travel and transit of potential foreign terrorist fighters. We are presently reviewing our national legislation with regard to resolution 2178 (2014). Security organs such as border police and law- enforcement authorities work hand in hand within our joint counter-terrorism centre. Multilateral and bilateral cooperation at the ministerial and agency level, including with the European Police Office, complements this concept. Overcoming the factors underlying violent extremism is a fundamental and long-term challenge for all of our societies. Prevention is of the utmost importance, in particular with regard to the young generation. De-radicalization measures need to reintegrate those who have taken on extremist views. Security organs alone cannot accomplish this. Civil- society actors and social institutions, especially those at the local level, are key in contributing to this endeavour. Women have an important role to play. Let me cite a few measures that we have put into practice. Families that fear that one of their members is about to travel to a crisis region and join a terrorist movement can seek counselling and support from a help desk. Prison environments are occasionally conducive to further radicalization. We have addressed this with a project that actively approaches prisoners at risk at an early stage of their detention. Extremist views have to be delegitimized wherever they appear: in prisons, on the Internet, but also in schools and sport clubs. Credible counter-narratives must be developed. Alliances of civil-society actors, including representatives of Muslim communities, have the best chances of success. The United Nations is at the core of coordinating the international community’s response to the threat of terrorism and its efforts to counter violent extremism. An example is the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre. The Secretary-General recently presented his vision for transforming the Centre into a centre of excellence. We welcome and commend the Centre’s commitment to operating in a complementary, interlinked and supportive fashion with the 34 institutions that are combined in the Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force. In conclusion, aligning and focusing our capacities is key in achieving a sustainable result in the fight against terrorism and in drying up its root causes.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). I would like to express my gratitude to you, Madam President, for holding this open debate and preparing the concept note (see S/2014/787, annex), and I also thank the Secretariat for its briefing. NAM welcomes any opportunity to share its views when the Council is working to prepare a resolution on this important issue. The Non-Aligned Movement unequivocally condemns terrorism as criminal and rejects it in all its forms and manifestations, as well as all acts, methods and practices of terrorism wherever, by whomever and against whomsoever committed, including those in which States are directly or indirectly involved, which are unjustifiable whatever the considerations or factors that may be invoked to justify them. In that context, NAM members reaffirm their support for the provisions contained in General Assembly resolution 46/51, of 9 December 1991, and other relevant United Nations resolutions. The Non-Aligned Movement reaffirms that terrorist acts constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, in particular the right to life, leading to the lack of the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms of peoples. Such acts endanger the territorial integrity and stability of States as well as national, regional and international security, destabilize legitimately constituted Governments or the prevailing constitutional order and political unity of States, affect the stability of nations and the very basis of societies, create adverse consequences for economic and social development, and cause the destruction of the physical and economic infrastructure of States. Terrorism should not be equated with the legitimate struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination and foreign occupation, for self-determination and national liberation. The brutalization of peoples remaining under foreign occupation should continue to be denounced as the gravest form of terrorism, and the use of State power for the suppression of and violence against peoples struggling against foreign occupation in exercising their inalienable right to self-determination should continue to be condemned. Furthermore, terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, and these attributions should not be used to justify terrorism or counter-terrorism measures that include, inter alia, profiling terror suspects or intrusions into individual privacy. The Movement expresses grave concern over the acute and growing threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, namely, individuals who travel to a State other than their State of residence or nationality for the purpose of the perpetration, planning or preparation of, or participation in, terrorist acts, or providing or receiving terrorist training, including in connection with armed conflict. It emphasizes the need for States to address this issue, including by implementation of their international obligations, and underlines the importance of United Nations capacity-building and facilitation of capacity- building in accordance with existing mandates to assist States, including those in the most affected regions, upon their request. Conscious of the need to take speedy and effective measures to eliminate international terrorism, the Movement urges all States, consistent with the United Nations Charter, to fulfil their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law in combating terrorism, including by prosecuting or, where appropriate, extraditing the perpetrators of terrorist acts; by preventing the organization, instigation or financing of terrorist acts against other States from within or outside their territories or by organizations based on their territories; by refraining from organizing, instigating, assisting, financing or participating in terrorist acts on the territories of other States; by refraining from encouraging activities within their territories directed towards the commission of such acts; by refraining from allowing the use of their territories for planning or training for, or the financing of, such acts; and by refraining from supplying arms or other weapons that could be used for terrorist acts in other States. The Non-Aligned Movement rejects any actions or measures and the use or threat of use of force, imposed or threatened to be imposed by any State against any NAM country under the pretext of combating terrorism or to pursue its political aims, including by directly or indirectly categorizing them as terrorism-sponsoring- States. It totally rejects the unilateral preparation of lists accusing States of allegedly supporting terrorism, which are inconsistent with international law and constitute a form of psychological and political terrorism. The Non-Aligned Movement calls upon all States to condemn any form of, and refrain from extending political, diplomatic, moral or material support to, terrorism. It urges all States, consistent with the United Nations Charter and in fulfilling their obligations under international law, to ensure that neither refugee status nor any other legal status is abused by the perpetrators, organizers or facilitators of terrorist acts, and that claims of political motivation by them are not recognized as grounds for refusing requests for their extradition. The Movement also calls upon all States to respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and to reaffirm their commitment in this respect to prevent human rights violations in keeping with the rule of law and their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, and in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolutions. We also call upon the Security Council sanctions committees to further streamline their listing and delisting procedures to address the concerns of due process and transparency. NAM rejects any actions and measures, and the use or threat of use of force, in particular by armed forces, that violate the United Nations Charter and international law, especially the relevant international conventions, imposed or threatened to be imposed by any State against any non-aligned country under the pretext of combating terrorism or to pursue its political aims, including by directly or indirectly categorizing them as terrorism-sponsoring-States. The Movement reaffirms the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Member States’ primary responsibility to implement it, welcomes the Strategy’s reviews and calls for its transparent and comprehensive implementation. The Non-Aligned Movement strongly condemns the criminal incidents of hostage-taking that result in demands by terrorist groups for ransom and/or other political concessions and calls upon all States to cooperate actively in order to address this issue, including its legal aspects. The Non-Aligned Movement also encourages all States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying or acceding to the 13 international instruments related to combating terrorism. We also call upon all States to observe and implement the provisions of all international instruments as well as regional and bilateral instruments related to terrorism to which they are party. The Non-Aligned Movement reiterates its call for an international summit conference under the auspices of the United Nations to formulate a joint organized response of the international community to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including identifying its root causes. We further reiterate the importance of the conclusion of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism, noting the negotiations in Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly resolution 51/210, of 17 December 1996, for elaboration of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism and the continuing efforts to that end. We call upon all States to cooperate in resolving that outstanding issue. I would now like to add a few words in my national capacity. As we gather here today, there is a consensus in the Council and across the United Nations on the threat that the Takfiri terrorist groups, especially the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), pose to the security of the Middle East and North Africa and other parts of the world. However, we believe that any position against the threat should be coupled with action. Slogans by themselves will not serve the purpose. All countries, especially those surrounding the areas controlled by ISIL, should mean what they say and act resolutely to stop the atrocious acts that that group commits and mobilize in a way to destroy it. It is very unfortunate that a few Governments in the region have yet to take the threat seriously. They have yet to manage to control their borders and prevent the movement of ISIL recruits or stop the flow of financial aid from their territories to that criminal group. To do the job and help destroy the Takfiri terrorists, it is also necessary to do away with the thinking and propaganda machine underlying the activities of the group. On that front, too, we do not see sufficient efforts on the part of those who bear the main responsibility for what ISIL and other similar groups have done. To the contrary, we have witnessed — as was the case earlier in this debate  — positions talen and efforts made to single out a number of groups that have been part of the current fight against the Takfiri terrorist groups. That kind of approach can only stoke the fire of sectarianism and deflect the attention from the main threat that is menacing the region and beyond. During the past few years, my Government has been doing everything in its power to fight extremist groups in the region. We have, first of all, secured our borders to prevent any movement to or from the areas controlled by those groups. In many cases, Iranian officials have stopped and apprehended individuals who have tried to use Iranian territory to cross over or send material assistance to terrorists. We will continue our resolute fight in that regard and hope that the Security Council will do everything in its power to help stop this threat.

I now give the floor to the representative of Israel.

I thank you, Madam President, for convening this important debate. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Secretary- General for his briefing and to the Chairs of the counter- terrorism committees for their briefings this morning. Yesterday. the citizens of Israel woke up to learn that another horrifying terror attack had taken place in Jerusalem. Two Palestinian terrorists stormed a synagogue, attacked the Jewish worshippers and barbarically murdered five people and injured many others. Three victims were dual Israeli-American citizens and the fourth was Israeli and British. The attack reminded us that terrorism does not distinguish between nationalities. Terrorism is on Israel’s doorstep, but if nations continue to look the other way, terrorism will soon be on their doorsteps also. In the past 14 years, the rate of global terrorist attacks has increased fivefold. I want to repeat that  — there are five times more terrorist attacks today than there were 14 years ago. The international community can no longer afford to be indifferent. Radical extremism is on the rise and we are losing ground. In order to defeat terrorism, we must attack its roots, namely, its ideology, its sponsors and the evolving ways in which terrorist groups recruit, operate and grow. We cannot defeat terrorism unless we confront the violent ideology of incitement. People do not become terrorists in a vacuum. In the Middle East, hate-fuelled incitement fills schools, mosques and the media. That is particularly evident in Palestinian society. In the past month, there have been six terror attacks in Israel, in which 11 people have been killed and dozens more injured. Every one of those attacks has come in the wake of inflammatory statements made by the Palestinian leadership, which celebrates attacks, glorifies murderers and publishes cartoons encouraging more terror attacks. Countering incitement is one of the most effective counter-terrorism tools at our disposal. We must promote education that teaches peace instead of hate and tolerance instead of violence. We cannot defeat terrorism while States continue to sponsor and harbour terrorist groups. Iran is terrorism’s primary sponsor, financier and trainer. Its proxies  — Hizbullah and Hamas  — have dispatched hundreds of suicide bombers, planted thousands of bombs and fired tens of thousands of rockets at civilians. Iran’s fingerprints can be found on terror attacks from Argentina to Bulgaria and from Thailand to India. In Syria, Iran has sent Shiite fighters from Lebanon and Iraq to fight alongside the brutal Assad regime. Directing this network is Qassem Suleimani, the chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force. Also in our region, Qatar is lending financial aid and weapons to countless terrorist groups and providing a base for top terrorist leaders. In recent years, the Sheikhs of Doha have funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas in Gaza. Every one of Hamas’ rockets and terror tunnels might as well have had a sign that read: “Made possible through a kind donation from the Amir of Qatar”. We cannot defeat terrorism unless our counter- terrorism efforts evolve to meet the changing threat. In recent years a new phenomenon has emerged in which terrorist groups are overrunning nations and taking control of vast areas of territory. Hamas, for example, violently expelled its political opponents before taking control of the Gaza Strip. Hizbullah has taken root in southern Lebanon and amassed over 100,000 weapons stored in densely populated civilian neighbourhoods. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) has gained control of tens of thousands of square miles of Syria and Iraq. By taking over vast oil fields, the terrorist group has turned itself into a multimillion-dollar enterprise and uses its newfound wealth to purchase weapons and recruit new fighters. Terrorist groups like ISIS are attracting jihadists from all over the Middle East and as far away as Europe, Asia and the United States. Many of those foreign fighters are now returning home equipped with radical ideologies, military expertise and dangerous aspirations. Israel welcomes the adoption of resolution 2178 (2014), which addresses the threat of foreign fighters, and resolution 2170 (2014), which reinforces the need to curtail the financing of terrorism. But that is just the first step. We must match our intentions on paper with tangible actions on the ground, beginning by countering the evolving threat of terrorism with creativity and flexibility. Every day Israel uses its counter-terrorism expertise to keep its citizens safe. Despite the threats that surround us, we will never lose sight of what we are fighting for — freedom, tolerance and the rule of law. The struggle that we face today is the same struggle that the rest of the civilized world will face tomorrow. Every nation has a stake in the outcome. As we near the end of 2014, I think about all the lives torn apart by terrorism. Tears and sorrow have touched every part of the world. As we approach the new year, let us commit to standing together and prevailing together so that 2015 will be a more peaceful year for all people.

I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.

I would like to begin my statement by thanking the Government of Australia for holding this meeting on an important issue of concern to all States, at a time when terrorist activities are becoming more diverse, interlinked and widespread in an unprecedented manner. No country is immune to the threat posed by criminal groups committing acts of terrorism. It is therefore incumbent upon all to exert the utmost effort in the fight against terrorism, using all available means and at all levels, including national, regional and international. Egypt was one of the first countries to warn about the threat of terrorism against international peace and security, as it had been subjected to a wave of terrorism in the early 1980s that was brought under control. Since 1986, Egypt has called for the convening of an international conference on the fight against terrorism, with a view to establishing and strengthening international cooperation to track and fight terrorist cells and their associates everywhere and to track their sources of financing at the international level. At the national level, Egypt has carried out effective, concrete actions in the fight against terrorism, including reforming the Egyptian penal code, which now includes articles on the definition of terrorism and the struggle against it, including the criminalization of all acts related to terrorism such as incitement or the financing of terrorist activities. Furthermore, Egypt is committed to implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions and its relevant international obligations. Given our conviction that the fight against terrorism should not be limited to security, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif University, with its enlightened, scientific approach, is working to refute terrorism and radical ideas, as well as deviant edicts that are being forcibly linked to benevolent Islam. Al-Azhar dispatches scientists, including a high-level religious and scientific delegation, to many countries in West Africa, to provide relevant connotations with thorough explanations, thereby refuting extremist ideology. In our view, the United Nations is the appropriate forum to coordinate and strengthen international efforts to fight terrorism and stand up to radical extremism. Such efforts are needed to assist countries in building capacities to fight terrorism and provide the necessary means and know-how, including training and best practices and information and data exchange. We call upon the various departments of the Secretariat to strengthen cooperation with Member States in this field and provide regular briefings on its activities in the fight against terrorism. In that respect, it is important to listen to the views of Member States, to avoid working in isolation from the efforts of others. With a view to the appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General against terrorism, radicalization and extremism, Egypt believes that intensive consultations should be conducted among Member States on the tasks to be mandated to such a position. If feasible, we believe that mandate should be confined to facing or fighting extreme radicalism, without being linked to any religion, culture or ethnic group. We believe that any such link is itself a possible mental incitement to terrorism. We also stress that our understanding of radical extremism includes incitement to violence against foreigners, including Muslim minorities, which have been subjected to an unprecedented wave of intolerance and hatred. Daesh and Al-Nusra Front are now controlling vast areas in Iraq and Syria. Their influence has spread to other areas via other terrorist groups that have supported or acceded to them. In spite of the adoption by the Council of many resolutions, Egypt believes that in the fight against terrorism, we must adopt a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of terrorism. Our efforts and those of the Council must not be limited to fighting the threats arising from those two organizations alone, but to strengthening our efforts to fight terrorism wherever it may exist, since all terrorist organizations espouse the same violent and deviant ideology. A quick glance at the regional scene in the Middle East — whether in Libya, Yemen, the Sahel or the Horn of Africa — is enough for one to realize the gravity of the danger to the international community as a whole.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations. Mr. Mayr-Harting: I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its member States. The candidate countries Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania; the country of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina; as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia, align themselves with this statement. The threat that we face from international terrorism is increasingly diverse, diffuse and unpredictable. The resilience of terrorist groups and their ability to regenerate and take on new forms cannot be underestimated. No better example exists than the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its predecessor organizations: in 2010 most of the top leaders had been killed or captured. Now, as others have already said, ISIL controls great swathes of Iraq and Syria, has huge assets at its disposal and is attempting to extend its influence to South Asia, North Africa and elsewhere. The threat emanating from Al-Qaida, including in the form of Jabhat Al-Nusra and other Al-Qaida affiliates, also remains real and potent. Combating terrorism and violent extremism requires a long-term, comprehensive approach by the whole international community. The United Nations has a central role to play in coordinating international efforts and ensuring a coherent response, and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy provides the essential structure for such work. The European Union has very close cooperation with the United Nations, and the recent EU-United Nations counter-terrorism political dialogue was again an opportunity to discuss counter-terrorism issues and ways to build upon our already strong cooperation. The EU also recently co-hosted in Brussels, with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, a conference on assisting the counter-terrorism capacity-building work of the United Nations counter-terrorism regional centres, in order to tackle more effectively foreign terrorist fighters and to counter violent extremism and radicalization. The European Union and its member States welcome the adoption of resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). While the international counter-terrorism framework is robust and appropriate to the challenge, these recent resolutions have helped sharpen its focus in some important areas. In that context, we strongly support action under resolution 2170 (2014) to tackle the sources of ISIL’s wealth and weapons. We also welcome the report and recommendations of the Monitoring Team of the Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) (see S/2014/815), in particular on further listing key individuals and entities and building capacity in affected countries to ensure the effective implementation of resolution 2170 (2014). The European Union and its member States are already active in East Africa on work to counter the financing of terrorism and stand ready to support such capacity-building efforts elsewhere. Within the European Union, in June 2013, we introduced a range of measures that include improved checks at external borders under the existing legal framework and the intensification of our efforts to dissuade, detect and disrupt suspicious travel. We are now considering a legal framework to investigate and prosecute foreign fighters. We would be happy to share our experiences with others and are eager to learn from others’ experiences. In that context, let me also mention that the European Union will host in Brussels, at the end of this month, a conference on foreign fighters, with regional experts. The Union and its member States strongly support action under resolution 2178 (2014), including efforts to bolster international action to counter violent extremism. As the top tier of terrorists is removed or brought to justice, it is increasingly important that we take action to ensure that they are not replaced by new recruits — younger, more technically sophisticated and more lethal. Countering violent extremism is often a neglected part of our collective counter-terrorism work. But it will remain a focus of EU efforts, as we believe it is a prerequisite to sustainably tackling the scourge of terrorism. Within the European Union, a network has been established that by now includes approximately 1,000 practitioners dealing with prevention of radicalization to violent extremism and terrorism. The network has a special work stream dedicated to issues pertaining to foreign fighters, and a working group dealing with online radicalization and counter-narratives. In 2014, it published a collection of best practices providing contact details for concrete projects. In 2015, the network will be integrated into the future network centre of excellence. In support of those efforts, the European Union recently adopted a revised strategy to combat radicalization and recruitment to terrorism. We have opened a dialogue with Internet companies to confront online radicalization, and agreed on joint training for law enforcement, industry and civil society. We are also developing a package of measures to help build the capacity of third countries most affected by the terrorist threat. We are supporting the Nigerian authorities in their fight against terrorism. We recently launched a project on countering violent extremism in East Africa, and an aligned one in South Asia. We are developing a programme of countering violent extremist-related activities focused on Syria, Iraq and countries in the Middle East and North Africa affected by the Syria crisis and ISIL’s activities. We are also launching a regional initiative on countering violent extremism in the Sahel and the Maghreb. We are looking to strengthen the legal regime against foreign fighters in Middle East and North Africa countries. Critically, counter terrorism cannot be seen in isolation from other work. We are working to mainstream counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism work into all appropriate EU activities. We call on the United Nations to ensure that measures to prevent terrorism and extremism are integrated fully across its various activities. The European Union also supports the calls made today to improve the role of the United Nations. In that context, I would like to highlight the United Nations work on the ground, such as through the efforts of Special Envoy of the Secretary-General De Mistura, whom the European Union supports. At the same time, the European Union also believes that the United Nations has the potential to do more on countering extremism by harnessing its internal capacity to ensure consistency and coherence of effort. The European Union and its member States look forward to further steps in that regard. Let me end by saying that it is our common responsibility to ensure that the rule of law and respect for international law, in particular human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, be essential components of the fight against terrorism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Japan.

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the President’s leadership in convening today’s open debate. I am also grateful to Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon and the Chairs of the Council’s counter-terrorism- related committees for their respective comprehensive briefings. We are all concerned about the fact that terrorism has established an international network and has expanded worldwide. The threat of terrorism is different from that posed by ethnic or religious conflicts. The recent serious threats posed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has clearly shown that. It is a serious thereat with global impact, and effective measures mandated by the United Nations are therefore necessary — not only in Iraq and Syria: we are now facing widely expanding threats in Africa. We are shocked that Boko Haram abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April. That is not a problem that Japan deems irrelevant. The hostage-taking in Amenas, Algeria, in January of last year was followed by the deaths of 10 Japanese people. I devoted myself to that issue in my previous position as Director-General for African Affairs at Japan’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs. I also took up that issue as one of the major topics when we organized the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-V), in June last year. There is a shared view in the TICAD process that when people, especially the younger generation, are frustrated about extreme poverty and youth unemployment, terrorism expands. Needless to say, fighting terrorism on the front lines is important. However, it is also important to address the so- called root causes. By achieving social and economic development we can bring hope to people in various regions and create a foundation that does not tolerate terrorism. Advancing social and economic development was the idea behind TICAD-V. At the conference, Prime Minister Abe announced $1 billion for the development and stability of the Sahel, as well as assistance for enhancing the capacity of the region to engage in counter-terrorism. Let me summarize briefly Japan’s recent international undertakings in the field of counter- terrorism. First, we believe that regional cooperation is important to cope with the challenges more effectively and in a more practical manner. As part of the assistance programmes announced at TICAD-V, Japan hosted a workshop last week on criminal justice cooperation for counter-terrorism among the Sahel States and States in North Africa. Several States in the region participated. We hope the meeting served to promote regional cooperation. Secondly, based on the idea that regional stability and social and economic development are effective in addressing the root causes in fighting terrorism, Japan has provided a wide range of assistance to several regions, in addition to what was announced at TICAD-V. As a recent example, in September, Japan decided to extend $22 million in emergency grant aid to Iraq and Lebanon in order to provide emergency shelter and relief items for Iraqi internally displaced persons and Syrian refugees affected by the offensive of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It goes without saying that we are in close cooperation on counter-terrorism with States in Asia, especially the States members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). That is reflected in the ASEAN-Japan joint declaration for cooperation to combat international terrorism and transnational crime, adopted last week in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. Since Japan established the ASEAN-Japan Counter- Terrorism Dialogue in 2006, we have held annual dialogues — including the ninth meeting in May in Singapore. Japan believes such continuous efforts are key. It makes it easier for us to have more candid exchange of views and ideas. That makes it easier for us to come up with more effective and practical measures on counter-terrorism, building on past good practices. Furthermore, I would like to underline the fact that the East Asia Summit also released an independent statement last week that reiterates our commitment to work with the international community to fight extremism, radicalism and terrorism. With regard to resolution 2178 (2014), adopted in September, more than 100 Member States sponsored the resolution, including Japan, demonstrating the solidarity of the international community on this issue. Member States should take appropriate action to implement the measures set out in the resolution in order to respond effectively to threats, especially the issue of foreign terrorist fighters. Various measures are indispensible, including on border control, countering violent extremism and terrorist financing, and international cooperation. I hope that the members of the international community will reaffirm its determination to fight terrorism by sharing their wisdom and expertise with one another, so as to strengthen measures against international terrorism. I would like to conclude by reaffirming Japan’s position in fighting resolutely against international terrorism. Japan, as a responsible Member of the United Nations, will play an active role in making every effort to fight terrorism hand in hand with the international community.

I now give the floor to the representative of Qatar.

At the outset, I would like to express our gratitude for the holding of this very important meeting. We would also like to welcome the participation of Her Excellency Ms. Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, and we would like to thank the Secretary- General for his briefing. We would also like to thank His Excellency Mr. Gary Quinlan, Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) and resolution 1989 (2011), concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities. We also wish to thank Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė, Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), concerning counter- terrorism. We would like to express our support for the presidential statement (S/PRST/2014/23) adopted today. The President’s concept note (S/2014/787, annex) certainly sheds light on the challenges the international community faces in fighting terrorism as well as the momentous dangers the world faces in dealing with the phenomenon of terrorism. In spite of the rather sombre picture of the situation of terrorism and terrorists’ efforts to increase fear in societies by drawing inspiration from violent ideologies, we need to remain optimistic in coping with this challenge. Our determination and cooperation are being sorely tested today. Achieving our common goal will depend on pooling our efforts in all spheres in order to cope with terrorist organizations. In line with the policy adopted by my country in cooperation with the international community to cope with this common threat, we took part in the Security Council meeting on this topic held on 24 September (see S/PV.7272). We were among the countries that supported resolution 2178 (2014). Qatar reiterated its commitment to confront terrorism at all levels and to continue its effective cooperation in order to combat terrorism. We will do everything within our power to achieve that goal. In line with that commitment, Qatar has adopted a number of measures, including the enactment of several laws to crimminalize the use of electronic means in the service of terrorism. We have been monitoring charity organizations so that they are not used for terrorist operations. We have also focused on international cooperation to combat money-laundering by terrorist organizations, which is an important area to scrutinize. In December 2013, we also organized a joint meeting of experts in order to implement a strategy to combat the financing of terrorism; 120 experts from 46 States took part, 14 from regional and international organizations. We also organized a joint seminar in Doha to develop financial capacity in the Middle East, North African and the Eurasian regions. With regard to implementing the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy, Qatar has been cooperating with various United Nations agencies in different areas. In January 2013, under the auspices of United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Centre on Global Counter-terrorism Cooperation, we held a conference in Doha on preventing the use of non-profit organizations to finance terrorism. We have worked with CTED to strengthen national legal institutions to cope with such challenges by training legal experts and investigators to establish a network for legal cooperation to stand up to terrorism, strengthen the international campaign to combat terrorism and promote the rule of law at the national and international levels. The increasing number of transnational terrorist groups and their use of intimidation and committing massacres run counter to human conscience and to every religion. We need to marshall political will and take into account Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2170 (2014), in order to put an end to anything that poses a threat to international peace and security. The terrorism threat is substantial today, and it has an impact on the international community. It is impossible to deal with that threat in the absence of a strategy that takes into account the deep-rooted causes of terrorism, whether that has to do with the actions of terrorist groups or the kind of terrorism carried out by certain regimes. Terrorism serves as merely an argument for certain groups. The fact that certain regimes characterize terrorism as a threat becomes a justification for them to carry out their own acts of terrorism. Our cooperation on terrorism requires more institutional work to deal with it. We need to draw up plans to fight terrorism in the short, medium and long terms. We also need to raise awareness and to focus on its deep-rooted causes and the reasons that young people are recruited by terrorist organizations. We need to prevent all policies that aim to violate human rights, as well as to counter any unjust policies based on intimidation and marginalization. Strengthening international cooperation is a crucial element in putting an end to the threat of terrorism. Terrorist groups have taken advantage of the lack of cooperation at the international level, which has made it possible for them to take control of large regions. Their capacities have strengthened, and they take advantage of a lack of stability and of political and security vacuums. Any attempt to link terrorism to a civilization, nationality or group will be used as an argument by terrorists to incite terrorism and justify their actions. Experience shows that terrorism is not linked to any single nationality or religion. We have a great responsibility on our shoulders, which requires that we adopt resolute steps — and quickly — in order to stand up to terrorists. We need to prosecute all those who encourage terrorism. We reject terrorism and extremism. We will fulfil our obligations in implementing resolution 2178 (2014) and other relevant resolutions. We will support all international efforts aimed at combating terrorism and putting an end to its sources of funding.

I now give the floor to the representative of Colombia.

As this is my delegation’s first time to address the Security Council during Australia’s presidency, let me wish you, Madam President, and your delegation every success and congratulate you on your presidency. I believe that the statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs this morning set the pace for our reflection on the challenge that terrorism represents today for all of us. We are grateful for the concept note (S/2014/787, annex) provided to the Council, which also serves as a point of reference. Colombia rejects and condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirms that it is not justified under any circumstances. We have increasingly witnessed the brutality of those who resort to terrorism as a means to achieve their ends. Our response must be clear and unanimous, as has been reflected in all of the statements made today. There are no circumstances or conditions that justify such acts. Colombia is a country that has been a victim of terrorism, as the Council well knows, and has suffered its consequences. We are therefore committed to combating it, and we express our full solidarity with its victims. It is clear that terrorism is a global threat that manifests itself in different ways in different regions of the world and does not spare anyone. That requires us to take measures in line with the principles shared by all humankind. As recently stated by the Secretary-General, we must respond to terrorism by collectively strengthening all our efforts and policies in the fight against terrorism and ensuring that they are consistent with international human rights norms and humanitarian law, and that all the measures we undertake are in line with the goals, values and universal principles of the United Nations. In Colombia’s view, it is vital that we adopt a sustained and comprehensive approach that includes reobust measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, such as a lack of social and economic development, as highlighted this morning. For military force alone will never be enough to vanquish terrorism, and events have proven repeatedly that we cannot associate terrorism with a single country, region, religion, culture or set of specific social conditions. Addressing the growing phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters requires that we take multilateral measures agreed to on the basis of consensus, in an inclusive and participatory manner, strengthen national legal frameworks, identify best practices and share successful experiences for strengthening international cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Regarding the funding of such groups, much emphasis has been placed on the payment of ransoms for kidnapping. In considering that question, Colombia believes it is important to be clear on the fact that the kidnapping victim also faces the imminent risk of losing their life, in addition to having lost, at least temporarily, their freedom. Their right to life and freedom are internationally recognized values and rights that must be respected and protected. Therefore, in dealing with kidnapping, the State and the international community should take measures that do not make criminals out of the victim or those trying to defend them. Based on that firm commitment, we must develop and strengthen national laws and institutions relating to financial information and intelligence, the establishment of effective mechanisms for information sharing and the development of effective and efficient border controls. One of Colombia’s biggest concerns is the diversion of arms to non-State armed groups and its harmful impact on the global fight against terrorism. The arms from the trade in and illicit transfer of weapons not only have negative impacts on the human rights of populations, exacerbate conflicts and undermine the stability and security of States, but have a significant connection with terrorism. In that regard, as has also been stated here, the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty represented an important step forward. Its entry into force this December will be important for all of us, and its full implementation will contribute to the activities aimed at preventing and eliminating terrorism. Colombia is a State party to most international instruments to combat terrorism and believes that their full implementation is a sine qua non for achieving the goals we have set for ourselves as an international community. However, our actions will not be entirely successful if we lack a comprehensive convention on international terrorism, since it is through such an instrument that we will be able to complement other existing instruments, resolve remaining gaps and strengthen the international legally binding framework to combat this crime. The Council can always rely on my country’s support.

I now give the floor to the representative of Kazakhstan.

The fight against international terrorism demands a long- term comprehensive approach and cooperation at the national, regional and global levels, with the active participation of all Member States, regional structures and civil society. Kazakhstan is a party to all the major international conventions against terrorism. It welcomes the idea of reconvening the Ad Hoc Committee on International Terrorism to draft a comprehensive anti-terrorism convention and supports a further improvement of other anti-terrorist treaty mechanisms. My country also fully supports the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) of the Security Council. As evidence of our involvement in the activities of the Security Council, together with the CTC, in September 2014, we organized a visit by His Excellency Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, head of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, to Astana. His discussions with Kazakhstan’s high-ranking officials in law enforcement and of financial and other specialized bodies were successful in expanding our joint cooperation. Kazakhstan is guided by the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and other international universal instruments that it has ratified. My country is also actively involved in the security measures of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. My country, as an active member of the Anti-Terrorist Centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), has signed the SCO Convention on Counter- Terrorism and all agreements on combating the illicit trafficking of arms, ammunition and explosives. We also work closely with various agencies of the United Nations system. In particular, the southern capital of my country, Almaty, hosts the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for combating the illicit trafficking of narcotics. We are thankful to all donors for supporting the regional centre of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Almaty. We are engaged in the Joint Plan of Action for the Implementation of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia. The Plan was elaborated by several partners: the countries of the region, the task force to implement counter-terrorism arrangements, the European Union and the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, based in Ashgabat. Kazakhstan also organized a consultative meeting with regional organizations in June 2012 in Almaty to execute the Strategy in Central Asia. As the 2010 Chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Kazakhstan hosted a conference on the prevention of terrorism, which adopted the Astana declaration, confirming the commitment of OSCE participating States and partner countries to combating terrorism. Those activities are also very high on the agenda for Kazakhstan-European Union cooperation. In addition, my country also participates in an Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO, thus expanding its collaboration with the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. At the national level, last year we adopted the State Programme for Countering Religious Extremism and Terrorism in the Republic of Kazakhstan for the 2013-2017 period, allocating $600 million for its implementation. The main goal of that effort is to ensure the safety of people, the State and society at large through improved measures to minimize and eliminate the consequences of that double scourge. Special attention is being paid to greater active engagement by the public on prevention and the reshaping of outreach activities for target groups. In conclusion, the Republic of Kazakhstan is committed to joining hands with the international community based on our deep commitment to combat more effectively the ever-increasing scourge of terrorism and radical extremism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Burundi.

At the outset, I should like to congratulate you, Madam President, on Australia’s assumption of the Security Council for the month of November. Allow me also to thank you for your choice of the very important subject of today’s debate: international cooperation on combating terrorism and violent extremism. Current events all too often remind us that terrorism continues to bring sorrow to the world and to inflict pain and suffering on all its people without distinction. As members of the Council know, not a week goes by without an act of terrorism occurring somewhere in the world. Such ignominious acts blindly strike innocents who have the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is in the interest of all countries to combat this scourge at the global, regional and national levels. Everyone agrees that the the essence of the terrorist threat is its transnationality. Terrorism does not take root in a given State or in a random locality, but rather moves from place to place opportunistically. Judging by the range of locales where it has emerged since 2001, we are witnessing both the displacement and the export of the terrorist threat from the Middle East into Africa and other regions. Nor can it be ignored that terrorism is the result of interactions among political, security, social and environmental factors, and that it is linked to poverty, poor governance, weak institutions and underdevelopment. Terrorism is particularly active in fragile societies and in post-conflict countries, where the absence of the rule of law and administrative gaps allow such groups to develop and flourish with impunity as they expand their influence on populations without resources and no hope for the future, as is the case with Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Wherever it is present, terrorism annihilates all hope, all vision of a future, all thought of programmes of economic and social development. Criminal organizations gain the upper hand as if they were the authorities in charge of the areas under their control and discourage foreign investment, thereby promoting the isolation and eventually the economic collapse of the affected States. In this ever more connected world, in which once great distances have shrunk to a mere pinpoint, everything is visible, everything can be verified and everything is experienced first-hand. As terrorism becomes ever more global, there are obvious links among drug traffickers in the Sahel, the European mafia and Latin American groups, which now trade experience and expertise. The new wave of terrorists is like a spider’s web that connects practically all continents. The question on everyone’s lips today is by what means to put an end to this perpetually ramifying scourge of our century and what available avenues to a solution we should prioritize. First of all, the brief period we have devoted to combating terrorism has shown that military intervention does not suffice to rid us of the scourge. Military action may allow us to snuff out terrorist bastions, but it does not make them disappear for good. If we set fire to a terrorist bastion in place X, another one will spring from its ashes in place Y, often with even greater virulence and determination. Moreover, purely military action that is not accompanied by civic action can create instability at the heart of a State and fuel its terrorist potential. To prevent the spread, resurgence or return of terrorists, the conditions that allow them to exist must therefore be alleviated. That is where the key concept of the moment comes into play: a global and holistic approach as articulated in resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). Members will surely agree with me that only by ensuring the well-being of citizens, populations and communities, above all the poorest and weakest, will they become less receptive to the ideologies that promote extremism and violence. Only the promise of development and personal and community fulfilment can compete with that sordid and death-dealing alternative. Secondly, the importance of development assistance in the fight against terrorism should not be minimized. Development aid would make it possible to prevent the eruption of crisis hot spots, especially in our immediate surroundings. Development aid would therefore seem to be an obvious measure to put in place, and would make it possible to detect and analyse the warning signs of a crisis as soon as they appear. Thirdly, it is essential to identify the typology of terrorist groups in order to assess their weak points and develop an adequate security and defence policy. Their modes of operation do not correspond to the classic approach to conflict with which we are familiar. Instead, they try to blend into the population, using people and protected property as shields without displaying any identifying signs. Their aim is to create a permanent state of insecurity and psychosis at the heart of regular forces, thereby spreading a general sense of suspicion and panic. Finally, at the strategic level, we need to deepen our understanding of terrorism’s appeal in order to combat it by promoting a culture of peace through dialogue, education, awareness and community exchanges. The importance of protecting human rights cannot be stressed enough in the context of combating terrorism. Instead of limiting ourselves to good intentions, we must prove through our actions our respect for human rights and the rule of law. We must also find ways to mobilize the international community by shining a light on the fate of the victims of terrorism and by providing them with all the necessary assistance. It is in fact the victims and their families who can best make the case for the urgency of the fight to combat terrorism. To conclude, I would like to reiterate Burundi’s fierce determination and unflagging commitment to work with other countries to combat this pernicious threat to international peace and security, which strikes at the very heart of our States. With that same determination and commitment, Burundi has placed its most experienced fighting troops at the disposal of the African Union Mission in Somalia, which is currently under the command of a high-ranking Burundi officer, in order to help restore a peace that has been lost now for so many decades. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not express my deep sympathy and solidarity with all the victims of terrorism and their loved ones.

At this point, I would like to thank all delegations for their willingness to continue the debate through the lunch hour in order to accommodate the very large number of speakers, which is an indication of the significant level of interest in this critical issue. We thank everyone for their presence and participation here today, but as we start our session this afternoon, I would like to take this opportunity to remind all speakers that they should try to limit their statements to no more than four minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. Delegations with lengthier statements are kindly requested to circulate the text in writing and deliver a more condensed version when speaking in the Chamber. I now give the floor to the representative of Malaysia.

I would first like to congratulate you and your delegation, Madam President, on Australia’s assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month, and for convening this important meeting. Malaysia also welcomes the presidential statement adopted earlier (S/PRST/2014/23), and we thank the Secretary-General for his briefing. My delegation is further encouraged by the presence of the high-level representatives of Argentina, Luxembourg, Lithuania and the Republic of Korea. Such high-level participation reflects the importance all we attach to the subject of today’s meeting, which we feel affords us the opportunity to take stock of the progress that has been made in combating the twin scourges of terrorism and violent extremism, particularly in the context of implementing resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), adopted earlier this year. Malaysia associates itself with the statements delivered by the representatives of Iran and Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, respectively. Malaysia reiterates in the strongest terms its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, as well as of all acts, methods and practices of terrorism. In the wake of the rampant advance of terror and violent extremist groups, in terms of capturing actual territory as well as intellectual and ideological space, Malaysia was a sponsor of resolution 2178 (2014), adopted in September. In doing so, we sought to lend our support to the effort to galvanize international action in the fight against terrorism in general and the scourge of foreign terrorist fighters in particular. So far, 2014 has witnessed disturbing developments, particularly in the tactics employed by violent extremist groups. The brutality of the punishments and retribution inflicted on their opponents and victims is appalling and horrific. Perhaps even more worrying is the fact that the narratives of such groups appear to be gaining ground and seem to resonate increasingly with a diverse cross-section of the world’s population. In that regard, my delegation believes it is imperative to halt the flow of funds and recruits to such groups. We join others in calling for robust and effective international action to fight terrorism and violent extremism, undertaken in full respect for the Charter of the United Nations and for universally recognized principles of law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Malaysia has consistently worked to enhance its domestic legal framework in order to ensure that measures aimed at safeguarding national security fully respect human rights. That is apparent in the evolution of our relevant legislation on combating terrorism and countering violent extremism, whereby our much- criticized Internal Security Act of 1960 was repealed and replaced with the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act in 2012. In terms of law enforcement, since 2000 the Royal Malaysian Police’s counter-terrorism division has forged strong bilateral ties with approximately 50 foreign intelligence and enforcement agencies, with particular emphasis on information-sharing. In regard to compliance with resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), our existing legal and policy framework has successfully prevented the movement of potential recruits out of the country. In 2013, Malaysia amended its 2001 Anti-Money-Laundering Act to include measures combating terrorism financing. Now known as the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act, it provides comprehensively for freezing terrorist funds and implementing the provisions of resolution 1267 (1999) and, more broadly, resolution 1373 (2001). In 2003, Malaysia established the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism, designed to provide capacity-building and technical assistance at the national, regional and international levels. As of 31 October, the Centre has conducted 140 capacity- building programmes attended by almost 3,000 local and 1,260 foreign participants. The Centre works closely on various aspects of counter-terrorism with many countries, as well as with bodies such as the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. At the regional level, cooperation in combating terrorism takes place primarily within the framework of the Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In addition, ASEAN’s annual senior officials’ meeting on transnational crime implements and reviews the Ministerial Meeting’s decisions, as well as exploring further areas of cooperation. The ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism provides a legislative framework at the regional level that complements the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, international conventions related to counter-terrorism and the relevant United Nations resolutions. At the international level, Malaysia has ratified nine of the 14 international conventions and protocols aimed at combating terrorism. We continue to take various measures to implement our international obligations, including the legislative measures necessary to enable us to accede to the remaining conventions and protocols. On a related note, Malaysia also welcomes the signing in June of a cooperation agreement between CTED and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, which, among other things, establishes a regular framework for consultation between the two entities. While the Alliance is not exclusively geared to countering terrorism, it engages in projects aimed at improving inter-cultural understanding and addressing feelings of isolation among certain groups, especially vulnerable young people. That in itself constitutes a formidable bulwark against the recruitment efforts of terrorists and violent extremists. Malaysia strongly believes that the Alliance’s emphasis on promoting an approach anchored in the principle of moderation should be further supported by Member States, particularly in the context of our common endeavour to combat the narratives of terrorists and violent extremists. In the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, it is fair to say that we have all come a long way. However, we still have quite some distance to go. We must continue to vigorously counter the narratives and appeal of terrorists and violent extremists and combat their murderous actions every step of the way. Malaysia reaffirms its unwavering commitment and continued support to that goal.

I now give the floor to the representative of Singapore.

We thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Chairs of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities and of the Counter-Terrorism Committee for their briefings. We commend Australia for convening this timely open debate. Resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) established a solid foundation for an international counter-terrorism framework for dealing with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Al-Nusra Front, and today’s debate is a useful opportunity for the international community to continue developing that framework. Singapore was a sponsor of resolution 2178 (2014), which deals with halting the international flow of terrorist fighters. We condemn the atrocities committed by ISIL and Al-Nusra against innocent civilians, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in the strongest possible terms. Singapore remains committed to supporting international counter-terrorism efforts. We will continue to cooperate with the United Nations and international partners to curb material and financial support for terrorist organizations. Singapore is an international hub and a multireligious society with a sizeable Muslim community. Extremist groups such as ISIL infect vulnerable individuals with their ideology. Battle-hardened returnees may carry out attacks at home, exacerbating the threat from existing terrorist networks in our region such as Jemaah Islamiyah. Self-radicalization and spontaneous acts of terror are also major concerns given the prevalence of information and communications technology and social media platforms. In this regard, approximately 350 South-East Asians, including a handful of Singaporeans, are reportedly in Iraq and Syria. The long-term risk to social harmony is also clear. As part of our integrated counter-terrorism approach, Singapore has joined other countries in offering to contribute assets and personnel to Operation Inherent Resolve, the United States-led multinational coalition to combat ISIL. These include liaison and planning officers, a KC-135R tanker aircraft for air-to- air refuelling and an imagery analysis team from the Singapore Armed Forces. These assets have proved effective in our previous contributions to multinational coalition efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, we recognize that it is also critical to counter the extremist ideology used to recruit foreign terrorist fighters and which fuels the violent agenda of groups such as ISIL. As such, Singapore’s integrated approach to combating terrorism also emphasizes religious-based and community-led rehabilitation efforts. Our religious and community leaders have condemned Al-Qaida and ISIL unequivocally. The Religious Rehabilitation Group, a voluntary group formed by individual Islamic scholars and teachers in Singapore, debunks misconceptions of extremist ideology in one-on-one sessions, offers offenders robust ideological counters to misinterpretations of religious teaching, and rehabilitates them back into society. As families play an important role in the rehabilitation of offenders, other community organizations also weigh in to provide support for their families where necessary. Those organizations also help secure jobs for offenders when they are released. It is our view that the weed of violent extremism can be blasted, but its ideological roots will continue to proliferate unless extirpated. To this end, in 2015 Singapore will convene a symposium for East Asia Summit countries to exchange views and share best practices on de-radicalization and religious rehabilitation. We hope that the symposium will be a useful contribution to international efforts to tackle the ideological roots of extremism and thereby weaken the lure of terrorist groups such as ISIL.

I now give the floor to the representative of Belgium.

Belgium would like to associate itself with the statement delivered by the Head of the Delegation of the European Union and would like to add a few comments in its national capacity. Belgium is one of the countries that has been most affected by the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon. It has also been one of the most involved in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In that regard, we are very pleased to be able to take part in today’s debate. The threat posed by ISIL and other terrorist groups, not only in Syria but also in Iraq and throughout the broader Middle East and the Sahel, as well as in other parts of Africa and elsewhere, is indeed a reality and extremely significant. It reminds us every day of the appalling methods that terrorists use to threaten both the international community and local communities and of how this undermines international peace and security. Belgium remains firmly convinced that the United Nations has a leading role to play in responding to these threats, through international coordination of various efforts and initiatives and through efforts to ensure policy coherence. The United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy, whose fourth biennial review was concluded in June, should continue to guide our actions. Belgium welcomes the adoption by the Security Council of resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), and calls on Member States to take the steps necessary to ensure their comprehensive implementation. In that context, Belgium underscores the importance of the role played by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre in promoting the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Belgium welcomes and supports the Centre’s initiatives aimed at increasing understanding of the foreign fighter phenomenon. Prevention must be a major component of our response to terrorism and violent extremism. Resolution 2178 (2014) rightly calls for strengthened international action to counter violent extremism. In order to tackle the problem of foreign terrorist fighters, the Belgian Government has adopted a new strategy to prevent violent radicalization that is based on the following principles: improve our understanding of the radicalization process, promote social measures in order to address the root causes of radicalization, and build the resilience of vulnerable groups. The strategy also involves efforts to increase awareness of the phenomenon of radicalization at the local level. A new unit responsible for preventing radicalization has also been set up within the Ministry of the Interior. It is tasked with supporting local strategies to counter radicalization and promoting such efforts. Indeed, we must focus our efforts at the local level — be it local authorities or civil society — in order best to wage the fight against the phenomenon of radicalization. Finally, the fight against the financing of terrorist groups should form an integral part of a wider counter- terrorism effort. Belgium recently participated in a number of discussions on how to more effectively fight terrorist financing, and we would like to mention several points in that regard as part of those discussions. First, we must fully implement existing United Nations sanctions regimes. With regard to the financing of terrorism, resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) provide us very useful guidance. Secondly, the exchange of information at the international level and other levels is also necessary in order to identify those who contribute to terrorist activities and to enable us to take action against such individuals and groups. Thirdly, terrorism and terrorist groups must be cut off from the international financial system, and to that end our financial institutions must very rigorously apply the principles of transparency and due diligence.

I now give the floor to the representative of Kyrgyzstan.

At the outset, Madam President, I should like to thank you for having organized this important debate. Today terrorism has become one of the gravest threats to international peace and security. Kyrgyzstan condemns and rejects terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. As a global, transnational phenomenon, it should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, and can be successfully countered only through the strengthening of international cooperation. In this regard, Kyrgyzstan reiterates its resolute support for all measures and legal instruments adopted within the framework of the United Nations to combat international terrorism and violent extremism. We should firmly continue our efforts to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which has provided a solid foundation for a comprehensive response to international terrorism and violent extremism at all levels. In that context, we welcome General Assembly resolution 68/276, on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy Review, adopted in June this year. To achieve our goals, it is important to keep the Strategy relevant and strengthen coordination in the light of emerging new threats and evolving trends in international terrorism and violent extremism. The current situation in the world demonstrates that acts of terrorism and violent extremism are increasing and negatively influencing stability, security and development. We witness atrocities committed by terrorist groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Al-Nusra Front and Boko Haram and their attempts to influence conflicts. The Monitoring Team of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities estimates that more than 13,000 foreign terrorist fighters from over 80 Member States have joined ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front cannot but cause serious concern. The participation of such fighters in terrorist groups on an unprecedented scale is aggravating not only the conflicts themselves, but the humanitarian, social, economic and human rights situations as well. There is no doubt that after returning to their home countries, those terrorist fighters will continue to present a serious danger. In that regard, resolution 2178 (2014), adopted at the Security Council summit on 24 September (see S/PV.7272), on addressing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters was timely and very important. Kyrgyzstan fully shares the need to take both urgent and preventive measures in the long term to deal with the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters. Kyrgyzstan is taking steps to implement resolution 2178 (2014) in accordance with Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. We consider it crucial to mainstream measures relating to the implementation of the resolution’s paragraph 14, which calls for building the capacity of States to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. The modern world is going through a difficult period characterized by increasing instability both at the regional and international levels. Our region is no exception in that regard. In his address to the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on 6 November, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon emphasized that the impact of the transition in Afghanistan on Central Asia is also a leading concern. We fully agree with that assessment of the situation in the region. Today, strengthening regional security is a priority in Central Asia, where terrorist and narcotic threats emanating from Afghanistan are major destabilizing factors, especially with the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force. The situation is worsening with the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. It will require more effective regional cooperation and the development of more coordinated and practical measures within the framework of anti-terrorist structures of such regional organizations as the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. We believe that strengthening regional cooperation will make a practical contribution to global efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism. Kyrgyzstan supports the activities of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, upon which we call to draw special attention to these issues. It should also explore the possibility of assisting the countries in the region in the implementation of resolution 2178 (2014) on effectively addressing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. At the same time, we clearly understand that in order to eradicate the phenomenon of terrorism, including foreign terrorist fighters, we must address its underlying causes. It is well known that the emergence of terrorism and extremism is fuelled by poverty, social injustice and the absence of the rule of law as well as low literacy and unemployment, especially among young people. Therefore, there is a need to take those aspects into account in our strategies and programmes. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate our strong commitment to carrying on the fight against terrorism and violent extremism on the national, regional and global levels. We firmly believe that it is the obligation and responsibility of all States Members of the United Nations and the international community to remain mobilized to prevent the further spread of and eradicate this global menace.

I now give the floor to the representative of Spain.

We are meeting at a crucial moment in the fight against terrorism, Al-Qaida, the Al Nusra Front, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and related terrorist organizations. In that context, the United Nations and the Security Council have acted decisively with resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), both of which contain significant provisions for combating these groups and against the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters. This suggests that the situation is a threat to international peace and security, as the Council has asserted, and that States have to act globally against the threat. That involves four elements that my delegation would like to highlight. First, we need to focus on the conditions that foster the emergence of the phenomenon. Secondly, we must combat the propaganda that promotes violent extremism. Thirdly, we must promote cooperation among States in order to combat the scourge. Lastly, I would like to refer to the importance of combating financing of these groups. On the first point, I note that it is essential to examine the conditions that promote the spread of terrorism, while at the same time respecting human rights and the rule of law. Terrorism should be fought on various fronts with efficiency and respect for the law. It is essential to delegitimize terrorism, focus on the radicalizing environment that fosters its emergence, and fight its expressions by prosecuting perpetrators and holding them accountable in courts of law for their acts. Spain has taken steps in this area and implemented measures within the current legal framework, in particular to prevent Spanish citizens and residents of my country from travelling to areas of conflict and participating in terrorist activities and violent actions. Various individuals have been detained while trying to leave Spain for that purpose, and, in cooperation with neighbouring countries, we have dismantled a network that was involved in recruiting those individuals. Although Spanish criminal law already has useful provisions for combating terrorism, including in addressing the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, our country is preparing additional legal reforms in order to strengthen our capacity to prevent the recruitment and travel of such fighters. The second aspect that my delegation wanted to refer to is the need to act resolutely against the radicalization and propaganda that promotes violent extremism. In that regard, Spain has drawn up a national strategic plan to combat violent radicalization. Actions in that area should always be carried out in close cooperation with leaders of communities susceptible to radicalization. Terrorists’ use of new communications technology should lead us to developing programmes of action aimed at de-activating and countering the propaganda that is spread by terrorists through social media. We should always respect — and this is a very sensitive matter — the freedom of expression and the free circulation of ideas. It is very important to develop positive and inclusive messages that target members of these communities and in particular their young people. The third aspect is critical international cooperation among States, without which it is impossible to effectively combat the threat of global terrorism. We need to step up and promote exchanges of information and assistance in terms of criminal investigations and the gathering of proof. Our national experience leads us to think that international cooperation is a very effective tool for coping with and defeating the terrorist threat. In that context, Spain has established strong mechanisms for cooperation with its neighbours, in particular the States of the southern shores of the Mediterranean. Finally and fourthly, we believe  — and it goes without saying  — that it is essential to combat the financing of terrorism. The Council has acted to that end by adopting the two resolutions that have been frequently referenced in today’s debate. It is crucial to strengthen international coordination to establish mechanisms that will leave no loopholes whereby terrorists could continue receiving financing for their criminal activities. Strengthened cooperation is also necessary to prevent the financial flows that benefit those groups. With respect to the four elements I have mentioned, the work of the United Nations is essential. In that respsect, my delegation expresses its full support for the excellent work carried out by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism, the Counter- Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, which are the best equipped and most appropriate mechanisms in the fight against violent extremism and, indeed, terrorism in general. I cannot conclude without expressing Spain’s solidarity with the victims of terrorism, whom we must always keep in mind because they can play a key role in preventing radicalization and violent extremism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Morocco.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Madam President, on your country’s successful presidency of the Security Council this month, and especially for the relevant topic chosen for today’s discussion, “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”. The Kingdom of Morocco takes this opportunity to reiterate its firm condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and to underline that nothing can justify a terrorist act. In that respect, Morocco strongly condemns the beheading on 16 November of the American hostage Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig by the terrorist organization Daesh, and expresses its complete disapproval of that odious crime, which runs counter to all universal human and moral values, including the teachings of Islam, a religion of peace, tolerance and coexistence. Terrorism must not be associated with any particular religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. The discussion on this topic comes at a crucial moment, marked by an unprecedented expansion of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization, despite the efforts of the international community to curb that phenomenon. Terrorism continues to strike indiscriminately and viciously and to spread like a cancer. Control of Iraqi and Syrian territory by the terrorist group Islamic State is a challenge not only for the two countries, but also for the international community. Terrorist groups increasingly exploit all existing resources in order to achieve their goals. They use advanced technologies in media, the Internet and social networks to attract the maximum number of recruits from among all social strata and all nationalities. We have witnessed with great concern the alarming phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters. While other regions, such as Afghanistan and North Africa, have experienced that phenomenon, which began as a limited, local threat, today it has evolved into a global threat. Terrorist groups are successfully recruiting young people, including from wealthy families and developed countries, making the traditional link between poverty and terrorism less relevant. They are recruiting doctors, engineers and students. Terrorists are brainwashing their victims and exploiting them to carry out their own macabre designs. That finding deserves increased attention and analysis. Moreover, radical discourse in places of worship and the incitement of terrorist acts are other means they use to achieve their goals. The international community is facing a destructive ideology whose obscurantist goals must be countered with will and determination. The Kingdom of Morocco, struck by terrorist attacks in Casablanca in 2003 and Marrakech in 2011, has developed a comprehensive and consistent approach focused on prevention and action, in accordance with the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, including resolution 2178 (2014), which my country co-sponsored. The Kingdom’s approach is one prong of the ongoing commitment of Morocco, its King, its institutions and its people in the struggle against terrorism in the wake of the attacks of 11 September 2001. Our approach is focused on the following principles, while remaining dynamic, responsive, evolving and open to improvement. The first principle concerns strengthening the security sector and keeping the legal framework up to date in the fight against terrorism. We have improved our security operations to help crush the terrorist threat. Our laws complement such vigilance through the adoption of legislation aimed at stopping young people from traveling to the theatres of conflict by criminalizing such activity. The second principle is the fight against social instability and promoting sustainable human development. In 2005, His Majesty the King launched a national initiative for human development to overcome social shortcomings, exclusion and instability. The third principle involves the restructuring and reform of our religious policy. In that capacity as Commander of the Faithful His Majesty the King has preserved the religious foundations and structures of Morocco. Moreover, reforms of religious policy include the establishment of a scientific authority responsible for issuing religious edicts and interpreting Koranic texts first. It is the role of the Senior Council of Ulemas to discourage those who may be considering terrorist or obscurantist activities, and to train young imams and preachers in the teachings of Islam. Morocco is committed to sharing and exchanging expertise with its African partners; it has established religious cooperation with a number of African countries and has begun to host young African imams. The imams that have received training will then train others in their respective countries. The partnership experience was described on 30 September before the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter- terrorism, in the presence of some of the beneficiary countries. I take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the cooperation and support of the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, in this area and especially for our very productive relationship in the fight against terrorism. A number of terrorist affiliates in West Africa are involved in destabilizing Mali and have joined Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. That is a source of concern for my country and for the entire region of the Sahel and the Maghreb. This growing trend in the region has allowed terrorist networks to acquire financial and technological resources providing them with greater flexibility and threatening the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the States of the region. We must therefore redouble our coordination and information-exchange efforts among the countries of the Sahel and the Maghreb so as to wage a collective and effective fight against the destabilizing activities of the terrorists. Affiliates of these groups have announced their allegiance to the Islamic State, which has further heightened the threat to our region and must therefore be taken into consideration. Bolstering security on our borders, information­ sharing and halting the flow of financial resources to terrorists are key and even vital measures in the effective fight against terrorism, particularly foreign terrorist fighters. In that regard, I note that, on 7 and 8 February 2012, Morocco hosted in Rabat the second meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s Criminal Justice Sector and Rule of Law Working Group , culminating in the adoption of a good practices document, entitled “The Rabat Memorandum on Good Practices for Effective Counterterrorism Practice in the Criminal Justice Sector”. In the context of that same joint initiative under the Forum, Morocco and the Netherlands organized, on 14 and 15 May in Marrakech, the first meeting of experts on foreign terrorist fighters. They discussed issues related to police, border control, justice and information-sharing. The most recent ministerial meeting of the Forum, held on 23 September, adopted The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum on Good Practices for a More Effective Response to the Foreign Terrorist Fighters Phenomenon. That Memorandum focused on a better response to the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters and also endorsed the creation of a working group on the subject, to be chaired by Morocco and the Netherlands. On this occasion, I would just like to add that Morocco and the Netherlands have been forerunners in the sphere of border control to combat the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters. I would like to commend those who have taken a part in that fight.

I now give the floor to the representative of Kenya.

It is a pleasure to see you, Madam President, presiding over this very important subject matter. We appreciate the opportunity to make our statement. Kenya has suffered some of the most atrocious acts of terrorism. We recall some of the most recent. In 1998, the Al-Qaida terror group bombed the United States Embassy in Nairobi, killing 224 people and wounding over 5,000. The majority of the dead or wounded were Kenyans along with several Americans, even though Americans were the main target. In 2002, the Paradise Hotel in the coastal city of Mombasa was bombed by terrorists, targeting Israeli tourists and killing over 15 people. On 21 September 2013, Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of Al-Qaida, devastated the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, an incident in which over 70 people, including Kenyans and foreigners of various nationalities, perished. Dozens of lower-level terror attacks have been witnessed in various parts of the country over the years. That is our story, our experience with terror. Terrorism is not a national phenomenon; it is indeed an international phenomenon. In fact, terrorism in Kenya and the region stems from the perennial instability in neighbouring countries, particularly the Al-Shabaab movement in Somalia. Kenya is a target only because of our avowed war on terror and our unflinching support and partnerships with our key allies in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations. Our experience and policies add legal and moral authority to our desire to fully engage here on the theme of today’s meeting, not just in terms of our own self-defence, but also in terms of the larger quest to ensure international peace and security with due regard for international human rights and freedoms. In 2011, Kenya crossed into Somalia in pursuit of Al-Shabaab and subsequently joined up with the African Union Mission in Somalia to vanquish that movement. That was because Somalia had become the breeding ground for Al-Qaida in the region as a result of the activities of the Al-Shabaab militia. Through the exchange of foreign fighters and ideological and material support, Al-Shabaab became the link with Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Such linkages have been well documented in successive reports to the Council by the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea. We shall, therefore, not elaborate on them now. Kenya’s geographical position has made it easier for Al-Shabaab to recruit and radicalize Kenyan youth. Apart from radicalizing our youth, the architects of terrorism have embarked on distributing video CDs propagating radical ideologies and violently targeting Islamic teachers who do not subscribe to their radical interpretation of the Holy Quran. The messages contained in the CDs urge young people to move to Somalia and other jihad theatres to wage war against Governments in an effort to establish Islamic caliphates. The radicalization and the indoctrination to adopt violent extremism have been facilitated by the prevailing economic hardships and unemployment in countries of the region. The presence of an established Al-Shabaab infrastructure in refugee camps and the use of such refugee cover for terrorist attacks has also greatly contributed to terrorism in the region. The porous nature of our borders facilitates the proliferation of firearms and explosives from Somalia into the camps Those weapons are used to propagate and perpetuate criminal activities and acts of terror in the region. The tentacles of terrorism now encompass other transnational crimes, such as drug-trafficking, poaching, commodity smuggling and money laundering, with the proceeds being used to fund terror activities and extremism in the region. Since Al-Shabaab publicly declared Kenya a target of terror attacks, the Kenyan Government has mobilized its law enforcement machinery to counter the threat. It has also fostered regional partnerships with neighbouring countries to tackle the menace. We cannot do it alone. Similarly, the Government has been engaging local communities at the grass-roots level through their respective county governments at the lowest level and other community leadership to fund programmes aimed at reducing the vulnerability of youth to violent extremism. The decentralization of funds and decision-making to county governments so as to initiate poverty-eradication programmes is now a cornerstone policy of the State. It is also enshrined in the country’s Constitution. In addition, we welcome the current efforts by the Secretary-General and the World Bank President, together with other development partners, to establish sustainable peace in the region through an ambitious infrastructure development programme, developed in consultation with the African Union, that would open the region to trade and investments. The Government of Kenya is committed to, and has actually created national versions of, the four pillars of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and has taken steps to implement the Strategy. Such measures include the formulation of a national counter-terrorism strategy that emphasizes the need for inter-agency cooperation among all the relevant stakeholders. We have enacted counter-terrorism legislation that gives Kenya jurisdiction over various terrorist offences in a manner that corresponds to the universal counter-terrorism instruments to which we are a party. Kenya has acted on violations fiercely and fearlessly. Another measure is aimed at combating the financing of terrorism. To curb the financing of terror, Kenya has established a Financial Reporting Centre to analyse financial transactions and work with competent law enforcement authorities to investigate the financing of terror, even activities that are masked by an innocent-looking front. Another measure relates to border security. In that regard, Kenya’s established border control is being enhanced through passenger profiling and screening procedures imposed on persons entering and leaving the country. We are also engaged in capacity-building through continuous training, increasing the number of police officers and acquiring modern equipment and technologies. Community policing and counter- terrorism awareness programmes have also been put in place to enhance general vigilance among the population. To counter radicalization and violent extremism, our authorities liaise with religious leaders and civil society organizations so as to counter extremist messaging. Such collaborative efforts between law enforcement and local communities have actually borne fruit, as is evident from the latest successes in countering extremism in the coastal areas of Mombasa. We are also fostering regional and international cooperation. In conclusion, I would like to assure the Council that Kenya remains committed to contributing to regional and international counter-terrorism efforts. My delegation calls on the international community and the United Nations system to strengthen their collective counter-terrorism measures, especially through the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. That will enhance the gravitas for countering incitement to violent extremism and disrupting terrorist networks, the movement of foreign terrorist fighters and illicit financial flows. Lastly, we urge an intensified, more structured and effective exchange of information among Member States to deal with terrorism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Slovenia.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Australia, as President of the Security Council, for organizing this timely and important debate today. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and the Chairs of the two Committees for their insightful briefings. Slovenia is fully aware of the severity of the threat that terrorism and violent extremism pose to the global community, and in that context we are grateful for their dedication in tackling this complex threat in a comprehensive and inclusive manner. Allow me to note that Slovenia aligns itself with the statement delivered earlier today by the observer of the European Union (EU). Slovenia has already adopted the necessary normative and operational measures and has implemented relevant best practices in the area of preventing and countering terrorism. Together with some EU actors, we are now also seeking the best possible way to strengthen the judicial response to terrorism, and are trying to explore additional measures needed to support the implementation of the recently adopted resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). Furthermore, we believe that the current need to effectively tackle the rapidly expanding phenomenon may also provide a new momentum for exploring ways to find a compromise on the comprehensive convention on international terrorism. To effectively counter violent extremism, we have to work with a broad range of partners in order to gain a better understanding of the behaviours, tactics and other indicators that could point to potential terrorist activity and the best ways to mitigate or prevent that activity. At the same time, we must respect fundamental rights, including the right to free speech and the right to privacy. Groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, for instance, which promote extremist ideologies, represent a threat to moderate Islamic countries, and one of the most effective ways to combat that extremist ideology is with counter-ideology. To that end, the Slovenia-based Euro-Mediterranean University is planning to establish a centre for Islamic, Arab and Middle Eastern studies. Slovenia is actively contributing to global efforts in countering terrorism and violent extremism, primarily within EU bodies and institutions and at the regional level, and therefore advocates the prompt conclusion of negotiations on the EU Passenger Name Record Directive and improving control of the external borders of the Schengen Area. We see further possibilities for improving the quantity and quality of criminal intelligence exchanged. Slovenia has, in cooperation with nine other EU member States, also put forward a non-paper regarding the EU initiative on sharing best practices on national counter-terrorism arrangements with the Western Balkans countries. As part of that initiative, Slovenia has proposed to use an integrative and complementary approach that will reduce overlaps and duplications, streamline existing and planned activities, and link them with identified priorities, taking into account available funding. This initiative was also one of the prime topics at last week’s ministerial meeting of the Salzburg Forum, which Slovenia is currently chairing. As one of the concrete activities of the initiative, in October Slovenia hosted a Western Balkans counter-radicalization workshop co-organized by the European Union and the United States. Furthermore, we have been doing outreach to the region in the field of policing since 2008, when the secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe established its headquarters in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. At the operational level, Slovenia is a promoter of a counter-terrorism initiative based on the declaration of members of the initiative for international police cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. We believe that a broader approach is required to prevent and counter radicalization. These efforts must engage the whole of society and the media, including the Internet, and should not be focused merely to prohibiting or removing illegal Internet content. Positive and carefully focused messages need to be spread widely enough to offer vulnerable users an easily accessible alternative to terrorist or violent extremist propaganda. Those efforts should also include cooperation with the experts from the relevant industries. In the context of voluntary and self-regulatory measures, we should consider creating tools for Internet users to anonymously report Web content related to radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism. In Slovenia, we have already established a so-called hotline Web eye, which enables Internet users to anonymously report hate speech and child sexual abuse images. The main goal is to reduce the amount of such content, in cooperation with police, Internet service providers and other governmental and non-governmental organizations. We believe that similar strategies could also aid in detecting content on radicalization and recruitment.

I now give the floor to the representative of Italy.

Italy aligns itself with the statement made by the observer of the European Union (EU), and would like to add a few remarks in its national capacity. The lines of action presented by the European Union are the product of intense discussions within European institutions and among those institutions and their traditional partners, as well as stakeholders who can make a useful contribution to understanding and countering the various manifestations of terrorism at the national, regional and global levels. Both the range and the dimensions of terrorism are changing rapidly. The constant mutation of the threat is driven by destabilizing factors, such as political turbulence, fragile institutions, a lack of socioeconomic development, radicalization and recruitment, as well as through the use of new technologies. Taken as a whole, those factors make the threat more dangerous, more unpredictable, more widespread and more pervasive. Because of these constant mutations, terrorism requires new capacities of intervention from international stakeholders, starting with preventive analysis at the national level and a multidimensional approach that exceeds the limits of past experiences. No area of the world is immune from terrorism. To a growing extent, it has become a cross-cutting phenomenon, deeply connected to other global threats, such as transnational organized crime; illegal trafficking, including human trafficking; corruption, cybercrime and piracy. In recent years, the threat has intensified in specific areas in the Middle East and in parts of Africa, but it has the ability to strike at the global level. The rising number of foreign terrorist fighters is a further index of the risks confronting the international community. The main and most dangerous expression of terrorism today is the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or Daesh, group. It not only poses a major threat to the immediate areas of Iraq and Syria, but extends its reach beyond those areas. Italy believes that a threat of such gravity and dimensions requires a joint effort and shared response at the global level through the key role of the United Nations. In the spirit of full and effective cooperation, my country advocates a multilateral, comprehensive and flexible approach in all the relevant forums, complemented by strengthened bilateral cooperation, also based on the need to take into due account the close connections between respect for human rights, economic and social development, and stability and security. At the level of European cooperation, Italy chairs the European Union Council Working Party on Terrorism and the Common Position 931 Working Group, which deals with sanctions and listing and is implementing Common Position 931 on terrorist groups and individuals. At the United Nations level, Italy has participated actively in the drafting and application of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the General Assembly in 2006. We recognize the importance of adopting and fully applying the counter- terrorism resolutions that the Security Council has progressively adopted, up to the most recent resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). My country is strongly committed to the effective and efficient implementation of the sanctions regime aimed at distinguishing the financing and support for terrorist groups and their affiliates. We are also active in other relevant international forums, first and foremost in the Rome-Lyon Group, established in 2001 in the Group of Seven framework at the encouragement of the Italian presidency. And we are also active in the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, whose initiatives include, most recently, the creation of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, of which Italy is a founding member. Countering terrorism and violent extremism must run parallel to efforts to settle the main political and institutional crises, in particular the comprehensive stabilization of the Middle East and North Africa area. Italy, also in the exercise of its presidency of the Council of the European Union, considers international cooperation essential to activating and strengthening political dialogue with the main partners and international organizations. Respect for human rights and the rule of law is crucial to establishing effective counter-terrorism strategies, so as to build confidence, including in crisis areas, in the international legal system and to keep alive in people’s hearts and minds confidence in the work of existing institutions and in good relations among peoples and States, which are alternatives to those adopted and propagated by terrorist groups.

I now give the floor to the representative of Algeria.

I would like to thank Australia for taking the initiative to hold this open debate on international cooperation on combating terrorism and violent extremism. I am equally happy to speak on behalf of a country that has suffered a lot from that scourge and has suffered it alone. What we would like to share with the Council is our own experience, and I hope that lessons will be drawn by everyone. It is recognized that in the face of new threats, only renewed international cooperation will make it possible to effectively prevent and combat the violent extremism narrative that sows ideas of violence, division, hatred and disrespect for human life. Under the circumstances, we think it is first of all the responsibility of individual States and then of the international community as a whole to set up appropriate mechanisms for preventing and deterring any evil soul — be it lodged in an individual or in organized groups — from inciting terrorist acts with the help of funding from hidden sources and publications that focus on violent extremism and lawbreaking. Dialogue with partners at the bilateral, regional and international levels is an integral part of Algeria’s approach to countering violent extremism and the ideology of extremism that underpins the terrorists’ narrative. We have stated in the recent past that the issue of foreign terrorist fighters is a serious matter to be specifically addressed among other aspects of terrorism. Addressing that issue means bearing in mind all other aspects of the phenomenon by setting up comprehensive strategies that encompass the local, regional and multilateral levels. It is clear that the fight against the phenomenon cannot be limited to the repressive dimension. Extreme action must be deployed, based on prevention, dialogue and an understanding of the attraction exerted by the violent extremism, conducive to terrorism, that underpins the terrorists’ narrative. I would like to share some of our Algerian experience in combating terrorism and violent extremism. Since the inception of our counter-terrorism action and endeavours, Algeria has advocated a comprehensive approach to preventing and combating terrorism. To that end, it has adopted at the national level a wide range of legal instruments that criminalize terrorist acts and the justification for committing such acts. Through an amendment to the Constitution, it has banned all parties and activities contrary to the constitutional order and to the indivisible values of the Algerian people in order to strengthen the nation’s peace and stability. No one has the right to use religion, race, ethnicity or language in the political arena. If one wants to conquer hearts, it must be done through ballots, not bullets. In addition to legal, judicial and operational measures, the effort to combat transnational terrorism has made it necessary to take preventive action, including many initiatives in the areas of education, religion and communication, to which Algeria has attached great importance in its strategy. Those ideas form the basis of a frame of reference consisting of the policy called “Peace and National Reconciliation”, advocated by the President of the Republic and endorsed by popular referendum, which reflects the political dimension of the counter-terrorism efforts. In the fight against terrorism it is important to gain the full support of public opinion and the people as a whole. Algeria has a legislative framework for preventing and prohibiting incitement to commit terrorist acts. The penal code has provisions concerning all forms of justification, encouragement and financing of terrorist acts, as well as the reproduction or dissemination of printed documents or recordings that incite terrorist acts. It fully respects civil liberties and is always under the supervision of judges. Furthermore, as part of the progressive development of legislation aimed at preventing incitement to commit terrorist acts, the Algerian penal code has provisions against anyone who through preaching or by any other action conducts an activity contrary to the mission of the mosque or is likely to undermine social cohesion or to seek to justify and advocate terrorist acts, whenever they are committed, be it in our country or elsewhere. The creation of groups, organizations or associations for subversive ends or for the perpetration of terrorist acts is combatted in Algeria by legal means. The recruitment abroad of any Algerian to a terrorist organization is punishable by law. The Algerian authorities have connected all sectors involved in the fight against terrorism and extremism, including education, culture, religious affairs and worship and communication, in their efforts to prevent and combat incitement to commit terrorist acts. Those sectors have been made increasingly aware of the need for a coherent response based on appropriate strategies and with clearly identified goals in order to prevent and combat the extremism, fanaticism and intolerance that foment radicalization and terrorist violence. The appearance of new threats and the proliferation of terrorist groups with links to transnational organized crime have led the international community to develop additional means of combating perverted types of indoctrination and the dissemination of subversive publications, including through Internet websites, by groups and individuals who seek to justify terrorism and terrorist acts and who provide an ideological and religious basis to legitimize terrorist activities. That means that the educational, religious and cultural dimensions of the counter-terrorism effort are now fully understood and are in concert with the general endeavour. It is in that spirit that Algeria remains convinced of the need for the international community to assume genuine responsibility within a framework of effective cooperation. We are committed to cooperate by bringing our own experiences to the bear in the fight against this modern scourge.

I now give the floor to the representative of Guatemala.

I wish to thank Australia for taking the initiative to organize this open debate and the Foreign Minister for personally presiding over it. We also would like to express our gratitude for the concept note (S/2014/787, annex) that the Australian delegation has prepared, which I am sure will guide today’s debate. We thank the Secretary-General for the information provided, together with the Chairs of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities. The Government of Guatemala categorically rejects all acts of terrorism and reiterates its commitment to preventing and combating this scourge. It is discouraging to see that terrorism, in its various forms and spheres, continues to spread and even intensify. The number of acts and victims is increasing, leaving a tragic trail of dead and wounded. The means used are becoming increasingly grotesque, and no one — not even United Nations officials, journalists or humanitarian workers — is immune to the risk of being involved in a terrorist event. The concept note raises for discussion various ways to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism and violent extremism. In that connection, we would like to make the following remarks. First, if there has ever been, in our interconnected world, a challenge that a nation cannot face alone, it is that of terrorists who cross borders and threaten to unleash violent extremism. Therefore, it is vital that we act on several fronts at the same time. The role of international cooperation and multilateralism at all levels is critical to neutralizing this threat. Conversely, any purely national effort will be in vain. We should all strengthen the mechanisms for border control, exchange of information and good practices in the prevention of terrorism. We also believe that international legal assistance is key to avoiding impunity for the perpetrators of terrorist acts. Secondly, we must address as a priority the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. In the long run, it is preventive measures that will effectively contribute to eradicating terrorism. The emergence of foreign terrorist fighters and violent extremism can be attributed to situations such as extreme poverty, marginalization, lack of opportunities and, especially, youth unemployment. We must help all countries develop their capacities to face this threat and overcome it. We must build national resilience against terrorism. States must foster societies in which individuals and communities are able to resist the ideology of violent extremism, challenge those who make it their own and mitigate the impacts of a terrorist attack so as to return quickly to daily life. Thirdly, in the course of the past decade, we have come to count on a number of operating tools to address this issue and cooperate efficiently, taking into account the needs and characteristics of each region. However, we must continue to strengthen our international legal instruments. The current international situation requires, as soon as possible, a comprehensive convention against terrorism. Its conclusion would be a message of firmness and unity on the part of the entire international community. In addition, it would provide us with a definition of terrorism that would make possible a universal classification of this heinous act, facilitate cooperation and legal assistance among States, and fill the existing gaps in the work of the Security Council, including the legal frameworks for its sanctions regimes. Fourthly, I would like to mention the United Nations efforts in the fight against terrorism. We recognize the role that the Council and its subsidiary bodies have played in promoting this cause. But the Security Council cannot and should not do it alone. The Council considers measures primarily ex post facto, while in this case the main focus should be preventive, addressing the conditions conducive to terrorism. In that respect, sanctions against terrorism have the potential to serve as a preventive measure, although much remains to be done to improve their effectiveness and implementation. We note with interest the analysis that counter-terrorism committees are doing in response to the request contained in resolution 2178 (2014). What we would like to see is additional measures to strengthen coordination, coherence, efficiency and transparency among the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Secretariat and the United Nations system. We believe that a greater spirit of collaboration would make it possible to better and more adequately respond to the particularities of each situation under consideration and maximize the use of existing structures and resources. We see no cost benefit in creating new structures for every threat and challenge that arises. We suggest that existing capacities within the Organization be reviewed before going ahead with the proliferation of structures. Finally, the international community faces a real and growing threat is not new but is more diverse and complex. In this lengthy process of combating terrorism, we cannot forget the victims, who deserve from us a tribute to their memory today. We express our solidarity with the victims of terrorism and their families.

I now give the floor to the representative of Albania.

I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this timely meeting and for the opportunity to take part in it. We align ourselves with the statement delivered earlier today by the observer of the European Union. We welcome the adoption of a strong presidential statement (S/PRST/2014/23) on counter-terrorism as another step towards vigorous and continued action within a framework for international cooperation and response. It is a fact that international terrorism has proliferated with alarming speed. Several terrorist groups — the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Al-Nusra Front and Boko Haram — continue to operate, reinforce and expand. Their extremist agenda is not new, but their violent propaganda and ideology and their unparalleled, ruthless tactics have adapted to modern times. Their unspeakable crimes have shocked the world with their barbarity and defied human understanding. The issue of foreign terrorist fighters has become a central topic in organizing the response to the ISIS expansion strategy. Determined, well-organized, tech-savvy fanatics continue, to the world’s dismay, to appeal to ever-younger people across the world. It has been amply stressed and loudly repeated — ISIS is in no way representative of the more than 1 billion Muslims in the world, nor does it represent the mainstream teachings of Islam. ISIS is more a sect than the State it pretends to be. Its religious narrative exploits ignorance first, but also frustration with the reality and a lost sense of future for individuals. They take pride in being ruthless killers, war-crime perpetrators and promoters of the most obscurantist model of society and not, as their propaganda seeks to indicate, the United Nations of Islam. We applaud the resolute action taken by the United States, European allies and other States, which, as we have noticed, is producing encouraging results. ISIS knows by now that their free walk in both Syria and Iraq has come to a serious stop. This is important momentum, which needs to be fully seized and reinforced through strengthened measures. We know that the fight to eradicate ISIS will take time, but ISIS and all fanatics know that that time has begun and has accelerated. Since the very beginning of the crisis, Albania has been part of the international coalition to fight and eradicate ISIS, and we remain as committed as ever. We have supported the new Iraqi Government in its fight against terrorism, and we remain committed to continuing to provide both military and humanitarian assistance. We have already contributed in the fight against ISIS, donating a sizable quantity of weapons and ammunition, and will continue our support in the future. Albania is among the first countries in the region to have adopted tailored legal measures imposing stiff criminal penalties for participation, and incitement to participate, in foreign conflicts and for promoting, organizing and financing foreign fighters. We have strengthened regional cooperation, including exchanges of information on the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. We are cooperating very closely with our United States and European allies in identifying foreign terrorist fighters, determining the best response in every case and prosecuting those who return from the conflict area. There is no doubt that terrorism and violent extremism, including ISIS in particular, will be defeated only through a combination of various measures. The military defeat of ISIS remains the most important immediate objective, and we think that everything should be done in that respect. But that is only one side of the coin. A much closer cooperation among States — including primarily through early warning, information-sharing, a proper implementation of the United Nations counter-terrorism measures at the country level and sharing of global terrorism best practices — is needed more than ever. Successfully countering the extremist ideology at the national level is the most difficult part of this endeavour, and it is a long-term objective. Education, communication and community work remain key. Finally, let us not forget that the world has had success and gathered extensive experience in degrading Al-Qaida with careful listing, disrupting financing and targeted sanctions. That record should be further strengthened and updated for the new requirements.

I now give the floor to the representative of Sri Lanka.

We thank the presidency of Australia for organizing this important open debate and for circulating a useful concept note (S/2014/787). My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. The 9/11 terror attack focused the international community’s attention as a whole on the threat of international terrorism — a reality which was already a part of daily experience in some parts of the world including, Sri Lanka. Led by the United Nations, the international community achieved significant success in addressing this menace, particularly through resolution 1373 (2001). The recent atrocities committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and associated terror groups have once again brought a sense of urgency to the international community’s efforts to combat terrorism. Militarily confronting a non-State actor that resorts to asymmetric warfare is extremely challenging, as the international community has experienced during the decade-long and ongoing effort to counter Al-Qaida. A terrorist organization has no compunctions about safeguarding civilian lives during military confrontations. In fact, many terrorist groups intentionally and tactically resort to placing civilians in harm’s way. We have seen this in the recent brutal tactics that ISIL and associated terror groups have unleashed on the civilian populations under their control. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the countries whose citizens are subjected to ISIL terror and torture. In Sri Lanka, we experienced these tactics first- hand when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) relentlessly placed civilians in danger by using them as human shields and hostages, despite repeated calls, including by the United Nations, not to hold civilians hostage. The LTTE strategy included holding civilians hostage as a means of attracting international attention and seeking external intervertion to subvert the humanitarian operation that was under way to rescue civilians from the clutches of the terrorists. The complications involved in military engagement with non-State actors should not deter our resolve to counter international terrorism. No terrorist group could survive for long without the critical support of international linkages and networks. Therefore, international cooperation to curtail sources of their sustenance  — including ideological, financial and logistical support and recruitment  — should be prioritized. Sri Lanka’s efforts to end a three-decade-long terrorist conflict were assisted substantively by complex, multifaceted and comprehensive coordination with the international community. We remain grateful to all our friends in the international community who assisted and cooperated with us in numerous ways. Although the conflict ended in 2009, the LTTE’s extensive international network, funded by some sections of the expatriate community, remains intact. There have been several recent attempts to revive the armed elements of the group in Sri Lanka in March 2012, December 2012 and April 2014. In the face of such attempts, Sri Lanka remains vigilant to prevent any resurgence of terrorism in the country. The recently adopted resolution 2178 (2014) recognizes that there is no military solution to the problem of misguided individuals seeking to join terrorist organizations. We wish to underline that the root causes of terrorism and extremism are complex and that these phenomena cannot be associated with any ethnicity or religion. In today’s interconnected world, it is very easy for agents of extremism to spread their ideologies across national borders. They do not need arms and ammunition to cause damage. However, the damage they inflict can be more extensive and long- lasting than the most devastating weapons. The end result of extremist ideology is communities, regions and even countries being riven apart by suspicion and hatred. As resolution 2178 (2014) emphasizes, it is important for States to engage relevant local communities and other actors in developing strategies to counter violent extremist narratives. Sri Lanka takes serious note of its responsibilities under the relevant Security Council resolutions. We continue to extend our fullest cooperation to multilateral and bilateral mechanisms that target international terrorism. In 2010, we collaborated with the Counter- Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) in hosting a regional workshop in South Asia. On our invitation, a CTED team visited Sri Lanka in October. We work with our neighbours to promote regional peace and stability through dialogue and cooperation in the spheres of defence and security. We are party to several regional counter-terrorism conventions of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. In November, Sri Lanka will host the inaugural South and Southeast Asian Nations Defence Chiefs’ Dialogue 2014, with the participation of defence chiefs of the region. The annual Galle Dialogue, hosted by Sri Lanka, focuses on the threat of piracy. As an island nation, Sri Lanka strives to fulfil its responsibilities in terms of maritime security. Preventing various transnational crimes  — including drug smuggling, arms smuggling and human trafficking, which are connected to international terrorism — is essential to the long-term security of our country and the wider region. Together with India and Maldives, Sri Lanka participates in a trilateral mechanism for cooperation in maritime security. Moreover, Sri Lanka remains vigilant about extremist elements transiting through our territory. We wholeheartedly support the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We should also make every effort for the early finalization and adoption of the United Nations comprehensive convention on international terrorism. We hope that our efforts in the Council will have a constructive impact on strengthening the United Nations counter-terrorism initiatives and further invigorate the Security Council’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation in combating terrorism.

I give the floor to the representative of Cuba.

We fully support the statement made by the representative of Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Cuba reiterates its deepest rejection and condemnation of all acts, methods and practices of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; by whomever, against whomsoever and wherever they may occur; and whatever their motivations, including cases in which States are directly or indirectly involved. The fight against terrorism must include prevention, direct confrontation and the implementation of concrete actions against its root causes. Cuba is a party to 16 international conventions on terrorism, and strictly fulfils its obligations under resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004). My country reiterates its support for the adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism that would close existing loopholes. It also favours the convening of an international conference under United Nations auspices for a coordinated response of the international community against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Unfortunately, the opposition of a small number of States has made all such action impossible. On 30 April, the Department of State of the United States of America issued its Country Reports on Terrorism 2013, in which, for the thrity-second time, it maintained its absurb designation of Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism. Including Cuba on this list is yet another excuse to continue to justify the blockage against us that has been in place for more than 50 years and which has been overwhelmingly repudiated by the international community. For decades Cuba has suffered the consequences of terrorist acts organized, financed and carried out from United States territory and resulting in 3,478 people killed and 2,099 disabled, only because they tried to defend their independence, sovereignty and dignity as Cubans. We reject the double standards of the United States Government’s policy by which it refuses to try and allows to remain free the perpetrators of terrorist acts against Cuba, including Luis Posada Carriles, the mastermind of the first terrorist attack against civil aviation in the Western hemisphere, which led to the explosion in mid-flight of a Cubana de Aviación plane off the Barbados coast on 6 October 1976, killing its 73 passengers. Paradoxically, it continues its prolonged and unjust incarceration of our Cuban counter-terrorism fighters, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, who were tried for crimes that they had not committed. Cuba firmly rejects the manipulation of an issue as delicate as international terrorism to use it as political tool against Cuba and demands that Cuba be definitely expunged from that spurious unilateral and arbitrary list, which is also an affront to the people of Cuba and a discredit to the United States Government and its proclaimed commitment to fighting international terrorism. The international community should not accept that certain States should commit acts of aggression, directly or indirectly, against sovereign peoples under the pretext that they are fighting terrorism. We are convinced that an effective fight against terrorism will not be possible if we limit ourselves to condemning only some terrorist acts while silently tolerating or justifying others in seeking to promote our own political and economic interests. We reaffirm our commitment to continuing to work to strengthen the central role of the United Nations in adopting measures and devising a comprehensive legal framework to tackle international terrorism. We support multilateral and bilateral cooperation to that end. Cuba is a victim of this scourge, and we are firmly committed to continuing to cooperate with all countries to prevent and punish acts of terrorism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Canada.

I would like to begin by thanking the Permanent Mission of Australia for convening this debate and for the presence earlier in the day of Foreign Minister Bishop. Canada and Australia enjoy a strong and multifaceted relationship in many areas, including counter-terrorism. Our two nations face similar security challenges, and consequently our approaches converge in many respects. The solidarity expressed by Australian leaders following the recent attack in Ottawa was reflective of our strong bilateral ties and very much appreciated by the people of Canada. These heinous and senseless attacks against members of our armed forces remind us of the threat posed by those who would commit violence in the name of radical ideas, beliefs and motives. Such threats are truly an international problem to which no country is immune. However, as tragic and shocking to Canadians as those attacks were, Canada is still very fortunate. We have largely been spared the scourge that has afflicted some of our closest friends and allies. Let me reiterate Canada’s condemnation of the savage and cowardly attack in Jerusalem yesterday, only the latest outrage suffered by Israel, all the more abhorrent for having cynically targeted civilians in a place of worship. It is clear to us that the extremist actions of those who perpetrated this attack are fuelled by incitement, by the irresponsible rhetoric of those in positions of responsibility. I would also like to emphasize the waves of violent extremism that have targeted the world’s largest democracy. Canada stands in solidarity with India, and I recall my Government’s condemnation of the sophisticated, coordinated attacks that targeted innocent civilians in Mumbai, six years ago next week, an example that highlights how violent extremism can become even more dangerous when abetted by the capacities of a sovereign State. I would also mention the challenge of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant that confronts us all today. That group has ambitions to establish a terrorist State, using the resources of a State to amplify its poisonous, extremist message; turn naïve and misguided recruits into hardened terrorists; and export fighters to conduct attacks around the world. In Iraq, we are confronting extremism with military force, and Canada is proud to stand with its allies against this global threat. (spoke in French) An effective response requires genuine commitment and cooperation on all of our parts. Canada’s counter-terrorism strategy, “Building resilience against terrorism”, reflects the Government of Canada’s commitment to protecting Canadians at home and abroad. The strategy emphasizes four mutually reinforcing approaches to combating violent extremism: prevent, detect, deny and respond. Domestically, Canada’s approach to countering violent extremism is built around three mutually supportive themes: building community capacity; building law-enforcement capacity; and stopping radicalization to violence through early intervention. From a community perspective, our Government supports family members, peers, religious and community leaders, who are often best able to identify and respond to the changes in attitude and behaviour that can be precursors to violent extremist action. One Canadian initiative which provides such support is the Cross-Cultural Round Table on Security. The Round Table brings together community leaders to exchange views on emerging developments in national security issues and their impact on Canada’s diverse and pluralistic society. Canadian law-enforcement agencies utilize community policing as an effective means to counter violent extremism. That approach takes the view that police officers should understand violent extremism as well as they would any other type of criminal behavior. To this end, the Government of Canada is enhancing existing law-enforcement training on violent extremism, most notably through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Counter-Terrorism Information Officer initiative, which provides front-line police officers and other first responders with critical training around the warnings and indicators of violent extremism. Early intervention in pre-criminal spaces is no guarantee that a person will not radicalize to violence or travel abroad to take part in terrorist activity. But as a tool for redirecting potential violent extremists, it is a useful approach to reducing the number of individuals requiring investigation and prosecution. (spoke in English) Prevention techniques do not always succeed, and once an individual crosses the threshold to actively supporting terrorism, Canada takes action to detect and deny such activity. The 2012 Combating Terrorism Act created the new offences of leaving or attempting to leave Canada for the purpose of committing terrorism- related offences. The RCMP leads a High-risk Travel Case Management Group that involves Government departments and agencies working closely with law enforcement. The Group examines cases of extremist travellers to tailor the best response to the most pressing cases. The responses have proven timely, effective and accountable, and comply with the framework that guides law enforcement and Government action. The framework identifies a continuum of actions that may be taken for several purposes — detecting extremist travellers taking a leave, disrupting attempts to travel for terrorism-related activities when they do occur, and responding to extremist travellers’ return to Canada after participating in terrorism-related activities abroad. Cooperation with Canada’s international allies is also vital. Canada and the United States, for example, have made significant strides to meet commitments made under the Beyond the Border Action Plan. The Action Plan committed both countries to establish and coordinate entry-exit information systems at our land borders and to work towards a similar system for air travel. The information generated by this programme will improve border management capacity, passenger screening and the ability of law enforcement and national security officials to conduct timely investigations into extremist travel abroad. Violent extremism is a long-term global challenge that demands effective international cooperation. In this regard, the United Nations plays a key role in developing international standards and best practices. Canada is committed to working with the United Nations to implement the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and was pleased to participate in the biennial review in June. Canada encourages Member States to support multilateral counter-terrorism efforts and urges United Nations entities to take a coordinated, action-oriented and results-based approach to counter- terrorism efforts. The value of international cooperation was well illustrated by the recent Security Council debate on foreign fighters (see S/PV.7272), in which Canada participated and was pleased to co-sponsor the resultant resolution 2178 (2014). Other multilateral forums such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) serve an important role in complementing the work of the United Nations. Canada is active in the GCTF working group on countering violent extremism, where we lead a project on measuring the effectiveness of countering violent extremism programming. The Hedayah Centre, based in the United Arab Emirates, also provides a key source of knowledge and best practices related to this issue. Canada is also pleased to chair the GCTF’s Sahel working group with Algeria. As Chair, Canada has focused on organizing training and workshops that are action-oriented and outcome-driven. The efforts of the working group have contributed to the development of best practices, a shared understanding of local threats and the effective coordination of programming in the region. Our experience in the Sahel reflects the ability of the GCTF to mobilize and coordinate resources in support of counter-terrorism capacity-building and serves as a useful model for wider multilateral efforts. Violent extremism is one of the greatest threats to global peace and security. The international community must work together to meet this challenge and counter the appalling violence committed by terrorist organizations. Canada will continue to work with our partners to address violent extremism in all its forms.

I now give the floor to the representative of South Africa.

I would like to express our congratulations to Australia for assuming the presidency of the Security Council. Additionally, Mr. President, I would like to express my appreciation for your continuing to preside over this meeting in spite of the fact that your other colleagues, members of the Council, do not find it attractive at this time of the day to remain in the Chamber. It shows personal commitment on your part, Sir, to the work of the Council and the subject that we are considering today, and I thank you for it. Recent acts of terrorism on our continent and further afield suggest that, despite concerted efforts by Members States, the phenomenon continues to grow and evolve, creating instability and untold consequences for innocent populations and the regions they inhabit. No country or continent is immune from the threat. Given terrorism’s global reach and its changing nature, international cooperation has become even more important in Member States’ efforts to counter it. International efforts should support a comprehensive, multifaceted and integrated approach to address, inter alia, the abuse of financial systems by terrorists, cybersecurity, the increasing use of social media and the Internet in radicalization, including incitement to hatred, the merging of the link between ideological extremism and transnational organized crime, and kidnapping and hostage-taking for ransom. Terrorism poses a threat to international peace and security and to the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is imperative that the international community adopt adequate measures to counter it. The South African Government continues to pledge its support for the global campaign against terrorism within the framework of the United Nations, which my delegation regards as pivotal in coordinating and facilitating international efforts to that end, particularly when dealing with the emergence of new threats. South Africa supports the strengthening of the multilateral system to deal with such efforts and acknowledges the work being done by the General Assembly and the subsidiary structures of the Security Council in that regard. We also welcome initiatives and efforts that promote dialogue, tolerance, diversity and understanding among peoples, cultures and religions. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy remains a useful collective and flexible tool for guiding the international community’s response to terrorism. It provides a holistic and multifaceted response to the challenge and is premised on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. It is up to each country and subregion to put the Strategy in its respective context and make it meaningful to the diverse range of local stakeholders, which is necessary for its successful implementation. The growing threat of terrorism has also highlighted the need for the international community to reach agreement on a definition of terrorism. It is therefore important that we continue our efforts to finalize the comprehensive convention on international terrorism. South Africa reiterates its view that terrorism cannot be defeated militarily and cannot be dealt with solely through the use of force or coercive measures. In the medium term, international cooperation must also address the root causes of terrorism. There is a need to understand and address the conditions that make terrorism an attractive option to the disaffected. Engagement, including through education, eliminating inequalities and working with disadvantaged groups in society, particularly young people, and developing appropriate strategies at the national, regional and international levels, remains critical. In that context, it also becomes important to resolve conflicts in all parts of the globe, including the search for lasting peace in the Middle East. Illegal occupation and the denial of freedom and the right to self- determination create fertile ground for recruitment. Political solutions aimed at resolving conflict and creating the conditions for a better future over the long term are required. International cooperation in combating terrorism should also include a joint commitment to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment. Countermeasures can never be sustainable if these factors are not addressed in tandem with counter-terrorism initiatives. South Africa stands firm in its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and believes that terrorist acts and attacks against civilians cannot be condoned. That approach is integral to the humanitarian values that inspired our struggle for freedom and governed our conduct during that period. South Africa has taken note of the proposal to establish the post of a Special Representative on extremism within the United Nations system. In considering this option, it is important that the mandate and scope of the Special Representative’s role be clarified, as well as the relationship between the Special Representative and the existing United Nations structures dealing with terrorism, each of which each has its own specific mandate. My delegation is of the firm view that the creation of any new office should be measured in terms of its contribution to facilitating international efforts to counter terrorism, rather than duplicating work already being done or by placing additional burdens on Member States, especially those in the developing world. In conclusion, we wish to take this opportunity to thank you, Mr. President, for including this important debate in the Council’s programme of work.

I now give the floor to the Permanent Representative of New Zealand.

Thank you, Mr. President, for convening this debate and, in the process, underscoring Australia’s prominent leadership on this issue. Without a doubt, terrorism remains an issue of pressing and shared concern. Today’s world bears witness to terrorism in its modern form, eschewing borders and authority, propagating indiscriminate violence, and finding refuge and support in fragile States, in vulnerable communities and, as the representative of Kyrgyzstan emphasized much earlier, among the disenfranchised. Terrorism brings real but not insurmountable threats that demand our collective action. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and terrorist entities associated with Al-Qaida bring those threats into sharp relief. Their barbarous acts, described yesterday by the High Commissioner for Human Rights as “monstrous” crimes (see S/PV.7314), are well documented and sometimes vividly and provocatively displayed with appalling deliberation. Foreign fighters are further exacerbating the problem as bearers of extremism, often into areas between conflict zones. New Zealand therefore welcomes the resolve of the international coalition with its comprehensive strategy to combat ISIL in Iraq. In the short term, military action to halt ISIL’s advance is vital, but long-term solutions will require much more. They will require support for inclusive governance in Iraq, a political solution to Syria’s violent stalemate and measures to counter ISIL’s narrative of violent extremism. We therefore welcome Iraq’s shared commitment to tackle that difficult problem. Like South Africa’s representative speaking just before me, New Zealand supports the four-pillar approach in the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy: addressing conditions that spread terrorism, preventing and combating terrorism, counter-terrorism capacity-building and respecting human rights and the rule of law. We also urge States to draw on mechanisms provided by the Council itself, such as the Al-Qaida sanctions regime for stemming the flow of individuals and entities that fund and carry out terrorist acts, and we urge States to share best legislative practices to deal with terrorism-related offences. States must share enforcement and operational information and must increase the effectiveness of national, regional and international coordinating mechanisms. Shared problems require shared solutions, so New Zealand was very pleased to support the comprehensive approach of resolution 2178 (2014) on foreign terrorist fighters. New Zealand’s approach to combating terrorism is based on a coordinated, whole-of-Government response, including working at the grass-roots level to build resilience to radicalization and to recruitment. We also draw on our own domestic experience to support our regional and international partners in countering violent terrorism, and we provide support to counter-terrorism capacity-building efforts through community policing, border control, civil aviation and the detention and reintegration of terrorist detainees. The Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, mentioned by others, facilitates cooperation between States on those issues. Its best practices and guidelines for countering violent extremism and terrorist fighters and for the adjudication of offences are an excellent resource, and we urge States to contribute to them and use them to guide their work. Terrorism threats also demand that we work together to confront the problem at the political level. Specifically, in that regard, we agree with Guatemala, South Africa and others that we must make progress on a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. New Zealand looks forward to next year’s discussion directed towards moving discussions on that topic forward. I thank you again, Mr. President, for calling and convening this debate. The Council must be not only a reflective but also a decisive body for international decisions regarding terrorism, and New Zealand commits itself to contributing to all such discussions.

I now give the floor to the representative of Ethiopia.

I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for taking the initiative to organize this open debate on an issue of paramount significance to international peace and security. The growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism is indeed a common challenge that calls for a common and collective response from States and the international community as a whole. In that regard, it is appropriate to recall the 2005 World Summit Outcome, which states: “We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, as it constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security” (General Assembly resolution 60/1, para. 81). It is against that backdrop that the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted in 2006 with a view to promoting comprehensive, coordinated and consistent responses at the national, regional and international levels. By adopting the Strategy, we, the Member States, agreed, among others, to refrain from directly and indirectly encouraging terrorism and to take appropriate measures to ensure that our territories are not used for terrorist installations or training camps or for the preparation or organization of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other States or their citizens. We also agreed to deny safe haven and to bring to justice any person who supports, facilitates, participates or attempts to participate in the financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts or provides safe havens. It must be emphasized that those obligations have not always been adhered to. We therefore need to ask ourselves today how far we have gone in terms of translating the Strategy into concrete actions. In numerous instances, a double standard is clearly apparent, thus undermining our efforts to respond to the threat posed by terrorism in an effective, coherent and coordinated manner. It is no exaggeration to state that terrorists groups and their affiliates seem to have better cooperation among themselves than do Member States that claim to be fighting terrorism. The concept note (S/2014/787, annex) gives an accurate account of the networks established by those terrorist groups across many regions, using the Internet and social media to spread their extremist ideology and recruit foreign fighters. Non-profit organizations are also sometimes used or abused as fronts for the financing of terrorism, and that is a major concern that came out clearly at a meeting organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held in Bratislava on 28 October 2014. It is therefore unthinkable that one could reverse the tide of terrorism and violent extremism without forging genuine, practical and effective cooperation at all levels. Sadly, we do not see such cooperation, and frankly speaking, there is a lot of hypocrisy in that area, which is tragic in the light of the gravity of the situation and the mortal danger it represents to the global community. We in Africa have had some useful experience in the fight against terrorism. Our continental efforts started back in the days of the former Organization of African Unity (OAU), which culminated in the adoption of the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism. What has been lacking, however, has been practical cooperation and effective implementation of the existing legal instruments. It is in the light of that fact that the African Union Peace and Security Council met, as mentioned in the statement of its 455th meeting, which was held in Nairobi in September 2014 at the level of heads of State and Government. The outcome of the Summit provided a practical framework for flexible and action-oriented processes for intelligence-sharing and security cooperation, a framework building on existing national and regional efforts to fight terrorism. In that context, Ethiopia has already established practical cooperation and is coordinating its efforts with countries in the subregion through intelligence-sharing and the exchange of valuable experiences. Let me conclude by reiterating Ethiopia’s commitment to enhancing effective international cooperation in combating the scourge of terrorism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Indonesia.

Let me begin by extending my delegation’s appreciation to Australia for convening this open debate. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General, the Chair of the 1267 Committee and the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee for their briefings. Indonesia associates itself with the statements delivered by the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, respectively. The convening of this open debate is timely, given the steady momentum and assortment of threats posed by terrorist organizations in the past few months, particularly by the murderous group that calls itself the “Islamic State.” Indeed, the rise of the so-called Islamic State, along with other forbidding developments in the realm of terrorist groups in various parts of the world, calls for more robust and integrated counter-terrorism cooperation. It is extremely critical for us to stay a long way ahead of terrorist groups. We must be able to identify new challenges and anticipate developments that might need a fresh look or approach. In 2006, we all agreed on the Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy, which remains the comprehensive strategic policy framework for counter-terrorism cooperation. While I reiterate Indonesia’s advocacy of a balanced implementation of the Strategy, I would like to stress that pillar I of the Plan of Action in the annex to the Strategy needs to be accorded continuing special priority. Pillar I deals with measures to address conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. Against that backdrop, Indonesia is very much in line with the idea in the concept note for today’s meeting (S/2014/787, annex), which emphasizes the importance of de-radicalization and counter-radicalization. Terrorism and other forms of extremism arise out of pure hatred and bigotry. The resulting sense of superiority over others offers terrorists and other extremists the justification to do whatever they please in order to achieve their intended goals. In the face of that menace, Indonesia reaffirms that preventive measures are among the best approaches for addressing terrorism and extremism. In that context, we have been an ardent advocate of promoting the values of tolerance and respect, as critical components of our efforts to counter the ideology of violence. And as a multicultural and multi-faith country, we have learned to believe strongly in the efficacy of dialogue. Tolerance and respect must be nurtured, as they can only be cultivated in open minds and fertilized by education and interaction. Opening the minds of convicted terrorists forms the backbone of Indonesia’s deradicalization programme. It is a nationally-integrated programme aimed at coordinating all relevant stakeholders in de-radicalization efforts, and includes not only law- enforcement agencies, but also religious authorities at the Government and community levels. Our deradicalization efforts begin in the prisons and detention centres. Through dialogue and discussion, we seek to instil the principle of moderation in the convicted terrorists. We even facilitate discussion between them and moderate clerics in order to ensure that deradicalization achieves its objectives. Our broad- range deradicalization programme also includes efforts to rehabilitate convicted terrorists and prepare them for reintegration into society. Let me make it clear that deradicalization is a complex programme with enormous challenges. Hard- core terrorists, for example, are extremely difficult to re-educate and reintegrate. In some cases, the effort to reintegrate them carries the high risk of putting them in a position where they can attempt to spread their extreme views to other prisoners. That is one reason behind the inauguration of a deradicalization centre earlier this year in Indonesia. The centre will serve not only as a venue for the de-radicalization programme, but also for research and training in de-radicalization issues. International cooperation is increasingly instrumental in our fight against terrorism. In that regard, I wish to reiterate Indonesia’s support for the primary role of the United Nations in orchestrating global counter- terrorism cooperation. We remain convinced that the United Nations can and should play a stronger role in building States’ capacities to implement the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, including through deradicalization and counter-radicalization. Along that line, allow me to highlight the cooperation between Indonesia and your country, Australia, as Co-Chairs of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum’s Detention and Reintegration Working Group. I wish to recall the message of the Working Group’s inaugural meeting, held in Indonesia in August earlier this year, which underlined the importance of sharing countries’ experiences, expertise and best practices in capacity- building for deradicalization, counter-radicalization and detention-management for convicted terrorists. Indonesia also believes that dialogue is an effective antidote to the complex challenge of foreign terrorist fighters. As part of our preventive measures, the Government has aligned itself with religious organizations and community leaders to detect and counter appeals to become a foreign terrorist fighter. Meanwhile, as part of our law enforcement efforts, we have also increased surveillance over Indonesians who travel into conflict areas. We are also stepping up cooperation with relevant overseas authorities for early detection, should an Indonesian citizen become a foreign terrorist fighter. To conclude, Indonesia would like to highlight the fact that foreign terrorist fighters continue to take advantage of situations of conflict, instability, and political turbulence. The obvious challenge before the United Nations is to work, without delay, to resolve conflicts throughout the world and help establish peace and prosperity.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands welcomes the Council’s strong presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23, and aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of the European Union. I would like to make some additional remarks in my national capacity. The direct threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters concerns us all. Both international peace and security and national security are at risk. The Netherlands is actively engaged in addressing extremism and terrorism in partnership with the United Nations, the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, the European Union and other partners. Our participation in the international military coalition in Iraq is a clear sign of our determination to contribute to international efforts to combat terrorism. I would like to highlight three issues: first, the action taken in the context of the Global Counter- Terrorism Forum; secondly, our national programme to deal with foreign terrorist fighters; and thirdly, our vision with regard to the role of the United Nations. During its ministerial meeting in September, the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) adopted a comprehensive set of non-binding good practices to address all aspects of the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon. These recommendations cover not only counter-terrorism responses, but also preventive efforts, including efforts aimed at countering violent extremism, recruitment and facilitation, travel and return. As co-leader, together with Morocco, of the GCTF Working Group on Foreign Terrorist Fighters, the Netherlands will actively promote these good practices. We stand ready to work closely with all United Nations Member States and United Nations partners on this issue. The Netherlands has launched a comprehensive action programme to deal with foreign terrorist fighters. The action programme has three main objectives: to protect democracy and the rule of law, to diminish the threat posed by foreign fighters in the Netherlands, and to remove the breeding ground for radicalization. The national action programme contains several measures to prevent, detect and counter radicalization and to encourage alternative narratives, enhance resilience and address social tensions. Front-line professionals from all sectors of society are closely involved in countering radicalization, including through the Internet and social media. The national action programme also focuses on risk reduction regarding the travel of foreign terrorist fighters. This includes penal, administrative and social measures. Potential departures are prevented or disrupted. The United Nations is a cornerstone of global efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism. It brings all nations together to share challenges and best practices. The Netherlands welcomes the active engagement of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force in support of Member States’ efforts to address the threats posed by international terrorism. The mainstreaming of measures to prevent radicalization and to counter terrorism across the United Nations agenda is a high priority, as is combating the financing of terrorism through an effective use of the sanctions regime. The traditional reluctance of development programmes to address terrorism should be overcome so that the United Nations can deliver on its potential and contribute at the national level to inclusive participation in societies and equal access for all to opportunities and basic services. In this manner, it can address the root causes of terrorism. We would also welcome more work on the role of long-term counter-terrorism policies in the context of United Nations peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict prevention. In conclusion, international cooperation is essential to combating terrorism and the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. National experiences and challenges can help others in adjusting their approach to incorporate best practices. The Kingdom of the Netherlands is ready to be a partner in preventing and combating terrorism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Ukraine.

I thank you, Sir, for organizing this very important meeting today. Ukraine fully supports the position of the Security Council that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations. Almost every day we learn with deep sorrow of new victims of terrorist attacks that occur in all corners of the world. This world evil can be eliminated only through consolidated and decisive measures taken by the international community. Ukraine is deeply concerned about the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, the Al-Nusra Front and other terrorist entities associated with Al-Qaida, and by the negative impact of their presence, violent extremist ideology and actions on the stability of Iraq, Syria and the region, including their devastating humanitarian impact on civilian populations. Ukraine supports the central role of the United Nations in the global effort to suppress international terrorism and in promoting international cooperation in this field. The United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy continues to be central to addressing the evolving trends of the terrorist phenomenon, and to doing so in an integrated and balanced way. Ukraine is a party to about 20 multilateral conventions and protocols in the field of counter- terrorism. The Ukrainian Government is actively involved in counter-terrorism cooperation with many international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the Financial Action Task Force, as well as Organization for Democracy and Economic Development — GUAM. Nuclear terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continue to be among the most challenging threats to international security. I am proud to say that my country plays a leading role in preventing nuclear terrorism. Furthering its long-standing goals in nuclear nonproliferation, Ukraine has responsibly implemented its pledge to get rid of all national stocks of highly enriched uranium. The meaning of this voluntary step is clear — Ukraine is a consistent and reliable partner that makes a valuable contribution to combating nuclear terrorism and strengthening the entire system of nuclear safety and security. And this is despite the foreign aggression that my country has recently experienced. Unfortunately, as of recent date, the problem of terrorism has become pertinent to my country. As Council members may know, the Government of Ukraine has been conducting counter-terrorism operations in the east of Ukraine since March. This operation fully complies with the Charter of the United Nations and all their other obligations of Ukraine under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law. It is incredible that terrorism should be occurring in a country where the terrorist threat was assessed by United Nations experts as low just a few months before the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the establishment of the terrorist organizations known as the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. As it turns out, foreign factors might encourage this evil to grow rapidly. The situation in the world in general and in my country in particular shows that the international community must redouble its efforts in the fight against terror. Ukraine is extremely concerned over the blatant violation of international counter-terrorism treaties on the part of some States. One of our neighbors continues to break its international obligations with respect to terrorism. In particular, it has completely neglected its obligations under the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of 1999 and the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings of 1997. That State, acting through various State institutions and physical and legal entities under its direct control, is committing the crime of terrorism. It was the unlawful actions of this neighbour that led to the occupation of the Crimea and the destabilization of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. As is evident in the situation in Ukraine, terrorism can be used as a form of hidden aggression against sovereign States. We call upon the international community to continue to take decisive action to combat State or State-sponsored terrorism against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its members. We believe that some of the principles enshrined in the Declaration adopted by the International Conference on the Question of Terrorism of 1987 (A/42/307, annex), reflecting the essence of the notion of State terrorism, can be taken as a basis for the preparation of a new legally binding instrument in this field. Without the bona fide fulfillment of international treaties and the sincere cooperation of all States parties, any international effort in the area of counter-terrorism, including the efforts of the Security Council, shall be in vain. On our part, I would like to underline that Ukraine will continue to be committed to cooperation at the international, regional and subregional levels in order to make the worldwide environment completely intolerant of terrorism and its supporters.

I now give the floor to the representative of Botswana.

Let me start by joining other delegations in congratulating Australia on its assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of November. I also wish to express my delegation’s sincere appreciation to you, Sir, for convening this important debate on international cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Botswana strongly condemns acts of terrorism in all their forms and manifestations and wishes to reiterate its unwavering support for the efforts of the international community towards the promotion and protection of international peace and security. Terrorism and violent extremism remain serious threats to national, regional and international peace and security. Acts of terrorism have shown that terrorism knows no boundaries and that no country is exempt from such heinous crimes. My delegation has been following with horror and disbelief the emergence of violent extremist groups and foreign terrorist fighters in the Middle East region who have no regard for human life. There is no doubt that the existence of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and the Al-Nusra Front in Iraq and Syria is a blatant challenge to international peace and security. During this year alone, they have committed atrocious acts against humanity ranging from bombing neighbourhoods to beheading innocent people. The recent beheading of a United States humanitarian worker, Mr. Peter Kassig, has gripped the consciousness of humankind, while demonstrating how savage and senseless these terrorists are. My delegation condemns in the strongest possible terms this barbaric and grisly killing, which was captured on videotape and shamelessly broadcast for the entire world to watch. That just goes to show that no nation can single-handedly fight and root out organized terror. Therefore, a comprehensive and holistic approach is the only way to tackle this problem. Poor governance, discrimination, political exclusion and inequitable economic development, among other things, are some of the factors that have been found to create social tension, which has the potential to precipitate terrorism. Governments should therefore guard against such conditions, as they provide a breeding ground for terrorism. In that regard, we believe that developing strong institutions of governance, the promotion of the rule of law and the promotion and protection of human rights provide a useful foundation for countering terrorism. Needless to say, it is the duty and responsibility of States to ensure that citizens are protected from crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and crimes of aggression. We call on the international community to scale up its cooperation assistance to strengthen institutions that promote good governance and the rule of law. That can go a long way in making the world a more secure and prosperous place for the benefit of both present and future generations of humankind. In conclusion, I wish to reaffirm Botswana’s commitment to the fight against terrorism and impunity. We remain disheartened by the fact that the perpetrators of terrorist acts continue to wantonly undermine international humanitarian law and human rights law through their activities. Yet they still remain at large, frustrating the course of justice and continuing to endanger the lives of innocent women and children. That state of affairs must cease forthwith.

I now give the floor to the representative of Croatia.

Croatia aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the European Unon. I should like to add several remarks in my national capacity. Croatia welcomes the adoption of today’s presidential statement (S/PRST/2014/23) and the Security Council’s strong focus on the ever-increasing threat of terrorism and violent extremism. It is obvious that no State can consider itself immune to from this threat, which has many forms and is carried out with total disregard for moral norms and legal constraints. We need unified action in order to respond adequately, efficiently and in a timely manner. In that regard, we support and encourage the a regular sharing of best practices by the United Nations system and Member States, especially in terms of the implementation of resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). It is our strong belief that the United Nations needs to play a central role in global counter-terrorism efforts. The United Nations has a variety of tools that can be used to tackle this issue, be it from the suppressive or preventive angles. However, we believe that there is still untapped potential when it comes to dealing with the conditions conducive to the development and spreading of violent extremism and radicalization that may lead to terrorism. Decisive law-enforcement measures — as well as, when needed, military operations  — are a necessary part of the efforts in the fight against terrorism. Nevertheless, the fact that there is a growing number of foreign terrorist fighters shows that the threat of imprisonment or even the possible loss of life may not be sufficient deterrents to discourage future terrorists. Therefore, we should avoid a simplistic approach that puts emphasis only the security dimension while neglecting all other aspects. There is an apparent need for an integrated approach that incorporates political, social, economic, environmental and security aspects. By addressing issues such as political and social discrimination, exclusion and marginalization and the lack of economic or any other prospects, we are making the environment less fertile for further recruitment of new terrorists. By spreading and nurturing education, knowledge, mutual tolerance, interfaith and intercultural understanding and respect among peoples, we can inflict a significant blow on the misleading narratives and ideologies of violent extremism and terrorism. We believe that special attention should be paid to the ways and means of incorporating counter-terrorism programmes within peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities. We see that terrorist influence can spread fast, particularly in areas that have suffered the dire consequences of armed conflicts. Terrorists thrive in the absence of efficient and legitimate Governments. The lack of good governance and the rule of law provides the ultimate environment for radicalization. Terrorists easily find safe havens and recruiting grounds in contexts of prolonged or unresolved conflicts where human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy are constantly at risk or non-existent. We therefore support the calls for mainstreaming counter-terrorism programmes throughout the United Nations agenda, both security- and non-security- related. We welcome the significant results already achieved in that regard, but we believe that we should ensure greater cooperation, coordination and coherence within the United Nations system, as well as with regional and subregional organizations. Universal threats such as terrorism require a collective response, including developing new conventions and protocols against terrorism. Data- sharing and strategic communication networks are also important parts of international cooperation in this area. Furthermore, we would like to highlight the important role of civil society, the private sector, religious authorities and the media in promoting tolerance and respect for religious and cultural diversity, which contributes to preventing terrorism. Each Member State should seek to find the best way to effectively empower them and engage for this cause. In today’s world, the Internet can have a very important role in spreading violent extremist messages. However, it can also be an important tool to counter the appeal of terrorism and to reach out to younger generations who might be susceptible to radical propaganda. We believe that it is worth further exploring the potential of the Internet as a platform for deradicalization. Allow me to assure you, Sir, that Croatia is firmly committed to the goal of preventing and suppressing terrorism in all its forms and manifestations at the national, regional and global levels. In that we are guided by the principles and values set out in the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and other relevant international legal instruments.

I now give the floor to the representative of Bahrain.

I should like to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important meeting devoted to counter-terrorism and extremism. These two scourges are the cause of untold suffering across the world. The international community should galvanize its efforts through international cooperation, which is increasingly important, to tackle the challenges of international peace and security undermined by acts of terrorism perpetrated by extremist groups, which pose a threat to numerous regions across the world. The Kingdom of Bahrain has joined the international coalition. In the statement delivered on behalf of my country during the general debate of the current session of the General Assembly (see A/69/PV.17), the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Excellency Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, stressed three main areas for action. The first of these is the security and military area, owing to the growing threat posed by these terrorist groups as they acquire heavy weapons that enable them to occupy cities for use as safe havens and bases from which to launch terrorist operations that disrupt the stability and security of our region. Secondly, we must combat all ideology that runs counter to human nature and betrays true Islam by distorting its precepts. Thirdly, we must deal with the financing of terrorism, which enables them to purchase weapons and materiel and attract vulnerable young people. In the framework of international efforts to combat terrorism, on 9 November the Kingdom of Bahrain hosted a meeting in Manama on combating the financing of terrorism within the context of efforts to eradicate financing in all its forms and manifestations. It was part of an effort to implement the Kingdom’s policy in the framework of the International Conference for Peace and Security in Iraq, held in Paris in September. We have also put forth an initiative to host a conference to coordinate international efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The Kingdom reiterates the need to curb the financing of terrorism, which represents half the battle in the fight against terrorism. There is also a need to ensure effective mechanisms to put an end to all financial support for terrorist groups and organizations. In that regard, specialized conferences aimed at finding ways eradicate all forms and manifestations of terrorists and terrorist groups that pose a significant threat to international peace and security are of growing importance. The meeting I spoke of reflected the importance of bank and financing flows in the framework of international efforts and counter-terrorism. The meeting emphasized the need for collective efforts to halt the financing of terrorism and deal with any suspicious transfers through three means, including the implementation of all international resolutions to combat the financing of terrorism, primarily Security Council resolutions, and the recommendations of the working groups and the Financial Action Task Force, as well as strengthening cooperation internationally and through specialized bodies and exchanges of experiences and approaches in combating the financing of terrorism. Many experts participated in those meetings, in addition to representatives of numerous regional and international organizations, including the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Financial Action Task Force, as well as various bodies working in the Middle East. The end of the meeting saw the issuance of the Manama declaration on combating the financing of terrorism. The declaration contains many recommendations in line with international law and its provisions, as well as the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It underscored the need for follow up on the prosecution of terrorists and the collective need for sanctions in combating the financing of terrorism. Among the recommendations put forth was a reference to the importance of follow up on evaluating the financing of terrorism and its sources, considering their means of implementation, and following up on all relevant activities, for example the financing of terrorist groups through the Internet and social media, the use of electronic payments or virtual currency by individuals or terrorist groups, the use of religious or academic institutions to finance terrorism or illegal financing through natural resources, the illicit trafficking of narcotics and even financing through charities. The statement stressed the need for participation in international efforts to combat terrorism, inter alia through legal assistance between countries and legal assistance to counter the financing of terrorism. The meeting considered the possibility of holding a ministerial conference on the implementation of the declaration. The participants of the meeting would like to cooperate in combating terrorism with the United Nations Centre for Counter-Terrorism, co-founded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

I now give the floor to the representative of Romania.

In aligning itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the European Union and in adding a few thoughts in its national capacity, Romania joins all the other speakers in thanking you, Mr. President, and your country for preparing and convening this debate. It is yet another product of an excellent presidency of the Security Council. The reality we face today is that, despite sustained efforts the virus of terrorism continues its genetic mutations, periodically challenging our values, presenting us with new legal and political dilemmas and forcing the international community to constantly adapt and rethink its counter-terrorism arsenal. That is why this debate is a meaningful and necessary exercise, and we welcome the adoption of presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23. It is in view of a long-standing concern with the rules of international law on terrorism that my country takes the floor today. Romania was one of the early and strong promoters of a convention to render terrorism universally punishable, and I cannot refrain from mentioning in this context the work of the Romanian jurist Vespasian Pella, who contributed directly to the drafting of the 1937 Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism. At the international level today, we are working with a complex framework made up of sectoral anti-terrorism treaties and Security Council resolutions that keep the framework updated as the phenomenon evolves and that contain important material and procedural obligations for international criminal law. Resolution 1373 (2001) and its most recent updates in resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014) are fundamental elements of that framework. In view of the time constraints and the concept note prepared by the presidency (S/2014/787, annex), in particular the third topic suggested for discussion, I will focus only on a technical aspect of international judicial cooperation that raises particular challenges, in our view. It is a matter on which the United Nations could provide valuable support and guidance to Member States and regional actors with regard to implementation. We refer to judicial cooperation for the collection of evidence needed for criminal proceedings against foreign fighters. Paragraph 12 of resolution 2178 (2014) recalls the obligation of Member States to provide one another with the greatest measure of assistance, including evidence-gathering, in connection with criminal investigations or proceedings relating to the financing or support of terrorist acts. The paragraph then underlines the importance of fulfilling that obligation in investigations and proceedings involving foreign fighters. The wording of the provision is closely connected to paragraph 6, which asks States to ensure that they incriminate and prosecute as serious offences three forms of conduct involving foreign fighters. As the scope being considered is universal, rather than regional or bilateral, the question that arises is whether the existing framework for mutual legal assistance in counter-terrorism proceedings is adequate and sufficient for all the offences referred to in paragraph 12 of the resolution, read in conjunction with paragraph 6. In the situation that prevailed prior to the adoption of resolution 2178 (2014), the assessment was that the sectoral conventions, although confined to the specific acts that they criminalize, together with related instruments such as the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, offer a sufficient legal basis for mutual legal assistance, including for the offences covered by resolution 1373 (2001). The situation following the adoption of resolution 2178 (2014) has yet to be assessed. What is the impact of extending the catalogue of offences within the same mutual legal assistance convention framework? We believe that now is the right time to ask that question. Transnational evidence-gathering is a particularly sensitive aspect of mutual legal assistance. Therefore, an early assessment of possible options would be of added value. States are currently evaluating legislation and exploring the most efficient ways to comply with their new obligations, including in the framework of regional organizations. We propose that the Council’s subsidiary bodies consider that topic in the exercise of their mandates. The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate is ideally placed to look into that specific question from a global perspective and to engage in a dialogue with the competent national authorities and regional actors. While regional systems might be better equipped, we need to address the question globally, as we are facing a global phenomenon, and we need to consider instruments of universal applicability. Further follow-up, either normative or technical, could also be envisaged. Let me conclude by underlining that we encourage this specific exercise at the level of the Council’s subsidiary bodies in order to support uniform compliance across different legal systems and to facilitate the work of those who are on the front line of our common endeavour, namely, national investigators and prosecutors. Their efforts contribute not only to the safety and security of our communities in the context of a world we all know to be seriously haunted by increasingly barbaric forms of terrorism and extreme violence, but also to the values of the rule of law that are the foundations of democracy.

I give the floor to the representative of Montenegro.

First of all, I would like to congratulate Australia for successfully presiding over the Security Council this month and for organizing this open debate. I commend your country’s commitment and leading role in this matter, Sir. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his briefing earlier today and the two Chairs of the Security Council Committees for their presentations. Montenegro welcomes the adoption of presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23, on international cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism, adopted earlier today, and fully aligns itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the European Union. However, I would like to add some remarks of particular importance to my country. The current upsurge in terrorist activities underscores the fact that they constitute one of the major threats to global security in the twenty-first century. Terrorism and violent extremism are both highly concentrated and globally distributed. The fight against that global challenge demands an integrated and well-coordinated international response and the commitment of all States to continuing to analyse and monitor all aspects of potential threats and to acting appropriately to prevent them. Strengthening international cooperation in order to prevent, detect and suppress terrorist activities and violent extremism requires the full implementation of the relevant international counter-terrorism conventions, as well as the resolutions of the Security Council in that area. Fully cognizant of the fact that international cooperation, as the most effective and irreplaceable tool, has to be a priority, Montenegro actively participates in the prevention and suppression of terrorism at all levels, multilateral and bilateral, and contributes to the strengthening and development of counter-terrorism cooperation. Montenegro condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms and fully commits itself to fighting such phenomena. The fight against terrorism, violent extremism and their root causes is now viewed as a collective effort on the part of all members of the international community. We share the view that the role of the United Nations in that fight is crucial, both at the global level and in assisting Member States in their efforts to strengthen their ability to prevent such acts. Montenegro strongly supports the efforts of the United Nations to promote the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which serves as the foundation for an effective and comprehensive response to counter-terrorism at all levels. We also recognize the important role of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, which works to promote and coordinate international cooperation in this field, and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism, with which Montenegro is also actively cooperating. The threat that foreign fighters pose to our security system is far greater today than it has ever been before. Not only is terrorism increasing, but its breadth is increasing as well. We recognize that there is no military solution to the problem. We therefore stress the need to work together to counter violent extremism, which can radicalize, recruit and mobilize individuals to engage in terrorism and violent extremism. In that light, I would like to refer to the recently adopted resolution 2178 (2014), which Montenegro was pleased to co-sponsor. Once again, I would like to convey our commitment to actively implementing that resolution by amending our Criminal Code with respect to prescribing penalties for the participation of mercenaries in third countries. With regard to fighting terrorism, we must not forget that fundamental freedoms, such as human rights and the rule of law, are essential institutional pillars that must be respected, even in the most difficult situations. We must, therefore, take all necessary measures to ensure that our fight against the threat we face complies with international law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law. All of the means and methods of preventing terrorism present a litmus test for the sustainability of those instruments and for the rule of law as a whole, and we must not fail in that task. In that light, I would like to emphasize the critical role that the United Nations Ombudsperson of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entitieshas been playing in ensuring that human rights are fully respected in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. Montenegro has never faced a terrorist act, but given that terrorism and organized crime pose a serious threat to international peace and security, we are continuously improving our system for preventing terrorist activities. Such measures call for cooperation among the relevant institutions at the national and international levels. Allow me to recall that Montenegro is a party to all major international counter-terrorism instruments and is dedicated to promoting cooperation in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, international conventions and other mechanisms. In order to establish strong international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms, our Governments must take appropriate steps in their national agenda, especially in countering the financing of terrorism. International cooperation in adopting international legal instruments, applying conventions and protocols, and exchanging information, experience and good practice in the implementation of counter-terrorist measures will remain our priority in order to strengthen efforts in international legal assistance for fighting terrorism. In closing, I would like to reiterate my country’s commitment to take decisive action to create a strong front against the core source of terrorism wherever it may arise and to work with all other delegations to promote cooperation so we can eliminate terrorism and violent extremism.

I now give the floor to the representative of Georgia.

At the outset, I would like to express my delegation’s gratitude to the Australian presidency for convening today’s debate. Georgia fully associates itself with the statement made by the observer of the European Union. In addition, I would like to make some comments in my national capacity. We acknowledge the growing threat of international terrorism and its new forms. In order to effectively respond to that threat, Georgia is developing national anti-terrorist capabilities. Accordingly, to avoid the misuse of Georgian territory for transit by international terrorist groups, the Government of Georgia is strengthening border protection and is cooperating closely with neighbouring countries in anti-terrorist activities. We have ratified all United Nations counter- terrorism conventions and continue to take the necessary measures to facilitate the implementation of sanctions imposed by the relevant international organizations. We recognize the need to fully implement resolution 1540 (2004), on preventing non-State actors from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials. As that resolution is a vital component of the international community’s toolbox for combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, we welcome the extension of its mandate to 2021. The risk posed by the occupation of a large part of our territory is our most important problem. The occupied territories of Georgia, like other grey zones of the world where international control mechanisms are either non-existent or very weak, have a serious potential to be used for a variety of illegal activities, including those related to terrorism. The fact that in recent years there have been several attempts to smuggle nuclear and radioactive materials through occupied Georgian territory further amplifies the sense of danger. It must be stressed that such challenges should be a matter of concern not only for individual countries but for the international community as a whole. Before concluding, I wish to reiterate Georgia’s readiness to offer constructive and open cooperation aimed at strengthening security and minimizing the possible negative impact of the emerging challenges that are typical in our rapidly developing world. In that regard, I would like to mention Georgia’s support for and active contribution to international anti-terrorist operations. To give one example, Georgia is one of the largest non-NATO troop contributors to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and continues to serve as a transit country for ISAF supplies. Bearing in mind the tremendous efforts and sacrifices made in Afghanistan, Georgia intends to remain the largest non-NATO troop contributor, with no draw-down until the end of ISAF operations. Let me also reiterate our determination to play an active role in NATO’s Resolute Support Mission to train, assist and advise the Afghan National Security Forces.

I now give the floor to the representative of Yemen.

I would like to begin by thanking Australia, as Council President for November, for taking the initiative to convene today’s open debate on international cooperation to combat terrorism and violent extremism. This is a timely opportunity for us to assess the progress made by the international community in combating terrorism and to examine the gaps, fragilities and shortcomings in our efforts. It follows the conclusion of the fourth review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, conducted earlier this year. There is no doubt that the phenomenon of terrorism is a danger to the existence of societies, a threat on the same scale as that posed by devastating natural disasters. My country has long had to grapple with terrorism. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is still attempting to undermine the sovereignty and authority of our State, taking advantage of the humanitarian, social and economic situation that we in Yemen must confront. Yemen calls for international efforts to establish partnerships and to pool efforts to address terrorism. My Government has developed a national strategy to combat terrorism in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 147 of 18 September 2012. The decree covers several areas of action, including political and economic issues and money laundering. There is also a component that focuses on training in the judicial arena. It provides for raising awareness in the military and law-enforcement sectors. There is also a project designed to bring together all the laws on the matter. In addition, we are facing difficulties because of the lack of financial resources. Our ministries and Government agencies entrusted with the implementation of that strategy are hamstrung by resource constraints. As is well known, Yemen is undergoing a difficult political transition, in addition to a very difficult humanitarian, economic and social situation. Despite robust military campaigns to eliminate Al-Qaida and its affiliates in various areas, and notwithstanding some success in that regard, the political climate remains unstable. Furthermore, our resources have been severely taxed and stretched thin because of problems compounded by the return of displaced persons. That means that we need our international donors to honour their commitments. We are still waiting for them to deliver on their pledges. Furthermore, the Government of my country has discovered that most Al-Qaida combatants are foreigners; some 70 per cent of them come from a wide geographical area. We therefore need all countries to exchange information to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters from many countries. We wish to reiterate that efforts to combat terrorism must address the roots of the problem. Yemen was one of the first countries to call for addressing the underlying causes of terrorism’s spread. We believe that poverty and unemployment lead to the spread of terrorism. Based on the latest assessments, there are terrorist fighters earning $500 per month, whereas our Government soldiers are earning a mere $100 per month. Despite the many conferences and meetings that we have had on the economic, social and cultural underpinnings of terrorism, the international community should look further into the consequences of military operations, air raids and drone strikes, and their impact on civilian areas where terrorists are hiding. If we are to combat terrorism, we need military, legal and security monitoring at the highest levels — that is something that we all know. Transnational terrorist groups have at their disposal a wide range of modern technologies that enable them to adjust to current realities and work around our attempts to combat terrorism. The solution can come only through an international coalition to combat terrorism so that we can effectively stem the spread of this scourge and ensure that the international community is rid of it once and for all.

The representative of the Russian Federation has asked for the floor to make a further statement.

Given the lateness of the hour, I shall make only a brief comment. Some delegations in today’s meeting have made inappropriate allusions to, and interpretations of, matters that have nothing to do with the topic under consideration. We believe that this distracts members from the Council’s discussion of the dangerous threat posed by terrorism and from the options for collectively countering it, which is our subject today. We suggest that the Security Council be used not for sharing random ideas but for participating in constructive discussions on agenda items.

I now give the floor to the representative of Iran, who has asked to make a further statement.

The Security Council today heard the representative of a main sponsor of State terrorism and the occupier of the Palestinian territory make some unacceptable false remarks with respect to my country. These were the same baseless remarks that have been repeated here time and again, and my delegation rejects them categorically. Indeed, we should not be surprised that the representative of a regime that is the manifestation of State terror should accuse a nation that has witnessed the loss of over 17,000 of its citizens during the past 35 years, a number of whom fell victim to heinous terrorist attacks that have been directly sponsored by elements of that regime. A well-known example of this was the incident in which Iranian nuclear scientists were brutally killed before the very eyes of their terrified family members. It is regrettable and ironic that those who are behind the most horrific terrorist attacks of our time should venture to preach to us about its counter-terrorism measures. They exude terror and violence. We consider the statement made by the representative of Israel today to be simply a tactic to divert the public’s attention from the illegal and criminal activities that their terror network has committed constantly for more than six decades. But the international community cannot be so easily deceived.

I now give the floor to the representative of Israel, who has asked to make a further statement.

I will also be very brief, but I would like to respond to some of the allegations we have heard made against my country today. I think it is truly absurd to hear the representative of the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia criticize the Middle East’s only democracy. Under the guise of combating terrorism, Saudi Arabia has aggressively repressed the rights and freedoms of its own people. It even proclaimed atheism to be a terrorist offence and jailed a poet named Hamza Kashgari, whose only offence was posting harmless tweets. Saudi Arabia may have given $100 million to the United Nations counter-terrorism programme but it is worth remembering that the Saudi regime has made far larger and more generous donations to extremist terror groups that promote radicalization and terror attacks around the world. I will not respond to the ridiculous allegations made by the Syrian representative against my country. The Syrian delegation represents a Government with zero credibility that cares nothing about the needs of its own people. Its remarks are another cheap attempt to divert attention from the massacre of the Syrian people. Lastly, I am pleased to see that the Iranian representative is taking full advantage of the freedom of expression in this Chamber. I suppose it is fitting, given that the Iranian people do not enjoy that right at home. It seems to me that he got a little carried away with the novelty and has used this forum to spread tall tales at Israel’s expense. But the truth is that Iran is today the main sponsor of terrorism around the globe. For decades, Iran has funded hundreds of terror campaigns that have taken thousands of innocent lives in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. In Syria, Iran has sent its Revolutionary Guards to fight alongside Al-Assad’s force and spent billions sustaining the bloody civil war that has taken almost 200,000 lives. In Lebanon, Iranian-backed Hizbullah terrorist groups have built a militia larger and stronger than many armies. The international community has realized the need for a robust strategy that will contain the threat posed by terrorist groups like Daesh. The same thinking is needed with regard to sponsors of terror like Iran.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, who has asked to make a further statement.

I will be brief, but I would nevertheless like to respond to the statement made by the representative of Israel who just took the floor. I would simply say that the Middle East region has known terrorism only since the Israeli occupation, which in the 1940s brought with it terrorist organizations that began to perpetrate terrorist attacks against the Arab inhabitants of the occupied Arab territories of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. Those crimes spread to other regions of the world after that.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. We have had a very long day, with almost 70 Member States speaking. Self- evidently, that is in itself a measure of how dangerous and decisive the threat of terrorism is globally. I thank all who participated. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.