Mr Chairman,

Mr Secretary General,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to participate in the opening of this important event organized by OSCE. The objectives of this forum are timely.

International terrorism threatens all of us and claims the lives of many innocent people around the world.

Terrorism's evolving tactics and methods, as well as its technical sophistication make it a growing challenge to the international community.

Terrorists are searching for our weaknesses to advance their goals and to evade justice. They are limited by no boundaries, and are often aided by modern technologies, such as the Internet.

The terrorists are broadening their support bases through recruitment.

Countering radicalization is one of our most important tasks, but it is also probably one of the hardest.

Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that every state apply the highest standards of the rule of law.

Although it is ambitious, the full adherence by all States to the international legal framework against terrorism is central to providing transparency, legitimacy and accountability in the global fight against terrorism.

UNODC's role is to support the international community to achieve universal ratification and implementation of the international legal instruments related to the prevention and suppression of terrorism.

The promotion and implementation of relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions related to terrorism, is also a key feature of our work.

But, there is also a much bigger challenge. We must ensure that there are no safe havens for terrorists.

UNODC also supports States' efforts to build strong and responsive criminal justice systems worldwide.

Our goal is to provide criminal justice officers the necessary knowledge and technical tools to better investigate, prosecute and adjudicate terrorist cases.

No terrorist must be allowed to escape appropriate punishment.

Recently, UNODC has launched a unique tool to assist practitioners to effectively prosecute and criminalize terrorist cases involving use of the Internet.

UNODC has also developed partnerships with regional and international organizations to help build criminal justice systems grounded in the rule of law and respect for human rights.

UNODC and OSCE have a long history of excellent cooperation in the area of preventing and combating terrorism. The specialized nature of UNODC's and OSCE's counter-terrorism assistance is complementary.

Fresh impetus for building upon this foundation has been given by the UNODC/OSCE Joint Action Plan to strengthen synergies and capitalize on our comparative advantages.

I would also mention global cooperation with international mechanisms, such as the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, especially the working group on Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law.

UNODC has contributed to the preparation of the Rabat Memorandum that enshrines good practices f or an effective response to terrorism.

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the 21 ^st century, establishing fair and robust criminal justice systems guided by human rights, must be at the core of global efforts to fight terrorism.

For this reason, the initiative of holding this conference could not have come at a better time.

I thank OSCE for organizing this event.

It provides an exceptional opportunity to raise awareness and exchange ideas on implementing effective criminal justice responses to terrorism.

I wish you all a productive debate.