In Fight against Terrorism Menace, Secretary-General Calls for Strengthened

 

Capacity-Building, Support for Victims — Human Face ‘of Our Shared Struggle’

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, delivered by Michael Smith, Director, United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, in Istanbul, 7 June:

I congratulate the Governments of the United States and Turkey, as co-chairs of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, for organizing this meeting.

Since its launch in September last year in New York, the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum has made impressive strides.  We at the United Nations welcome the commitment, insight and focus that GCTF working groups have brought to key thematic topics and regions relevant for counter-terrorism activities.  A number of United Nations entities have regularly participated in GCTF Working Group meetings, which provided valuable opportunities to share experiences and learn about national and international priorities.  I would also like to thank the Government of Switzerland for organizing a special meeting on United Nations-GCTF cooperation at Interlaken in February this year, where our synergies were further identified and developed.

As we move ahead, the United Nations, represented by all key entities of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, stands ready to collaborate with the GCTF on a broad range of counter-terrorism issues.

The resolve of Member States in the fight against terrorism remains strong.  The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted by all Member States in 2006, is the cornerstone of a truly global multilateral response, offering a comprehensive, integrated and preventive approach.  The United Nations greatly appreciates the support the GCTF membership has given to the Strategy, and we are heartened to see concrete deliverables on all four of the Strategy’s pillars.

As we strive for even greater impact in combating this menace, I would call your attention to two important areas:

First, we must strengthen our collective efforts on capacity-building, including by sharing best practices and expertise on counter-terrorism capabilities.

Second, we must uphold our responsibility to support the victims of terrorism.  They are the human face of our shared struggle; we must listen to their voices.

Later this month, the General Assembly will undertake the second review of the Global Strategy.  I invite all GCTF members to actively participate in the discussions.

The United Nations is committed to working closely with the GCTF to achieve our common objectives.  In that spirit of partnership, I wish you a productive meeting.

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For information media • not an official record