Director-General/Executive Director
Under-Secretary-General Voronkov,
Distinguished Ambassadors and colleagues,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to join you today at this Ambassadorial-level briefing, to discuss the latest developments on counter-terrorism and update you on the efforts of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
The threat of terrorism has never been more dynamic or transnational than it is today.
Terrorism is converging with other threats, from trafficking and organized crime to environmental degradation, while foreign terrorist fighters continue to pose a complex challenge across jurisdictions.
Terrorism is also adapting and moving into different regions, as well as expanding in the digital domain, including for recruitment and terrorism financing.
UNODC is working in coordination with our partners in the UN system and beyond, to help Member States develop stronger operational responses and foster resilience, and to build bridges between countries and between practitioners.
Since 2002, we have trained over 42,000 practitioners on criminal justice responses to terrorism, and developed 77 tools, publications, and resources on preventing and countering terrorism.
And today, we are leveraging our experience and partnerships to help where it is needed most.
Africa has emerged as a global epicentre for terrorism in recent years, and UNODC is stepping up our support to prevent and counter terrorism across the continent.
In Nigeria, for example, UNODC is building on our 12-year engagement in the country.
We have recently supported forensics capacity in Nigeria, most notably through the renovation and development of evidence storage facilities, including in Borno State, where Nigeria suffers by far the highest number of deadly terrorist attacks.
In Mozambique, where the terrorist threat has escalated over the past five years, UNODC is providing training and specialized investigative equipment.
Last year, we helped improve the capacities of over 800 practitioners in Mozambique, and our support contributed to the country opening the first-ever criminal case on terrorism financing.
In Eastern Africa, we have concluded a four-year project with the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization and its Counter Terrorism Centre of Excellence, which included 70 activities and trained more than 1,300 practitioners on criminal justice responses to terrorism.
And across regions, we are working to bring cooperation platforms closer together, including through recent exchange visits and cross-regional meetings, as well as potential partnership agreements.
In parallel, in Africa and beyond, UNODC continues to promote the international legal framework against terrorism and its 19 instruments.
With UNODC’s support, Albania, the Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe became party to the International Convention for the Suppression of Nuclear Terrorism last year.
Our Office has also continued to call for and support a whole-of-society approach that empowers everyone to be part of the response, including women and young people as well as victims of terrorism.
A prominent example of this approach was our wide-reaching “Victims’ Voices, Silencing Terrorism” campaign carried out in the Middle East and North Africa last year, which brought the perspectives of victims to the forefront, to lead the way against terrorist narratives.
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
The global response to terrorism must be as dynamic as the threat itself.
Responses should move further beyond a pure focus on security, and towards a balanced approach that allows for criminal accountability, alongside inclusive prevention strategies.
Modern policies and legal frameworks are also needed to counter terrorist exploitation of new technologies, while fully respecting human rights.
And multilateral cooperation must remain a cornerstone of the response at the international, regional and sub-regional levels, through both new and existing cooperation mechanisms.
UNODC will continue to work with all of you, for more effective, comprehensive, and sustainable responses to terrorism.
Thank you.