REMARKS BY H. E. MR. NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER
THE HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS
Before the
ANNUAL RETREAT OF THE COUNTER-TERRORISM IMPLEMENTATION TASKFORCE
Delivered by
Ambassador Tariq Al Ansari, Chef de Cabinet
NEW YORK, GREENTREE ESTATE
2 DECEMBER 2014
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, we have convened at a critical moment in the history of multilateral efforts at countering terrorism. With the rise of violent extremism, as ideological tool of political contestation, we are facing a global threat to international peace and security.
While the Security Council has and continues to act through Resolutions 2178 and 2170 calling for, among other things, stronger international efforts to address the challenge of “foreign terrorist fighters”, the number of foreign terrorist fighters in the Syria and Iraq conflicts has grown to over 15,000 from more than 80 countries. We recently learned that of these fighters up to 3000 may be EU citizens, which raises the question of how terrorists are effectively able to recruit citizens from the global north.
Terrorist groups stimulated by extremist ideologies — such as Da’esh and the Al-Nusra Front in Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon and Al-Shabab in Somalia and Kenya – continue to carry out brutal acts, wreak havoc, and cause profound suffering to civilians, including women and children. All of this, in the name of sacred faith: Islam.
This highjacking of 1.5 billion religious people poses serious threats to international law and order. Crucially, it also challenges the UN’s agenda for the future of global societies and sets back multiple indicators on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
We, at the Alliance of Civilizations, stress the need for better understanding of the fundamental relationship between radicalization-extremism-violence and economic and social development, where the absence of development can create the conditions for radicalization, and where the existence of violent extremism can impede advances toward Sustainable Human Development.
In fact, the eleventh and sixteenth goals of the new SDGs, to be adopted next year at the UN summit in September, specifically speak to the linkage between violent conflict and sustainable development:
- “To make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” (SDG 11).
- “To promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels” (SDG 16).
This is why governments and relevant entities must play a critical role in addressing these challenges through preventive policies and an increased focus on stabilization processes, preventing the recurrence of violence; targeting the motives of extremism; implementing the adequate resources demographically.
There is a need for a coordinated and holistic approach that integrates programs directed at the drivers of violence to secure a level of harmony with the Post-2015 Development Strategy.
As the lead entity of the UN Secretariat in assisting countries to address global challenges with interfaith and intercultural dimensions, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) actively highlights the rising tensions that appear through the faces of radicalization and violence extremism.
It is worth-mentioning that our 2014 UNAOC Focal Points Annual meeting that was held in Doha last April, focused on the issue of Violent Extremism and Sustainable Development. The meeting also served as the preparatory conference for the Sixth UNAOC Global Forum that was held in Bali last August. Both outcomes and programs highlighted the nexus between stability and development, in particular in the context of inter-ethnic and inter-religious violence.
I would like to highlight that in March of next year, UNAOC and the Attorney General of the State of Qatar will convene a joint meeting in Doha, to address the dimensions of violent extremism and its effect on Sustainable Development from the angles of combatting corruption protecting civilians – pillar 1 of the UN Strategy on Counter-terrorism – and other areas.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
While I believe that law enforcement, as a means of combating terrorism, must remain a priority, as many of you know, long-term success depends largely on strategic approaches to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.
When it comes to societies undergoing violent conflict that are divided along the lines of faith, sect, or ethnicity, global efforts toward forgiveness and reconciliation can only succeed when our collective approaches are built on trust, dialogue and collaboration. This is essential to complement the enforcement mechanisms and other actions of the Security Council and other UN agencies.
The UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations has approached the President of the United Nations General Assembly and suggested the convening of a Special Conference on the “The Role of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Reconciliation and Forgiveness.” The planned date for this convening is in the spring of 2015.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is to be relevant for intercultural dialogue and cooperation optimized to achieve sustainable development goals. UNAOC does this by connecting governments, civil society organizations, the media, and religious leaders devoted to promoting trust and understanding between diverse communities.
As many of you know, extremist organizations use falsifications of religious tenets to organize internally, to justify their actions, and to mobilize popular support. I firmly believe that it is incumbent on us to provide viable, meaningful alternatives to the perversions of religion that terrorists propagate.
Relevant regional and likeminded organizations, in particular in the Muslim world, are responsible to preach and educate young Muslims, to teach them that their personal practice of Islam should be a source of inspiration for being in the world in a way that both recognizes the benefits of coexistence, and marshals them to serve to improve the world and the lives of everyone around them.
The UN Alliance of Civilizations has a long record, through its many civil society, youth, migration and media engagement programs, of working with the grassroots around the world. Much of our work is dedicated to creating viable and effective alternatives to radicalization.
We have also worked with religious and media leaders in many different parts of the world to provide a platform to amplify their voices and more effectively disseminate messages of pluralism to their constituencies. For example, we convened the first in a series of workshops with Somali diaspora journalists from across Europe and North America in partnership with CTITF in September of this year. This has been meaningful work, but we are seeking constant improvement, and so we have found that there is more we can do.
At the Alliance, much of our work consists of creating avenues of empowerment for marginalized communities, and especially young people. If we don’t get to them first, terrorists will. Terrorist groups have creative and advanced ways of reaching out to young people to recruit them. They also reach out to poorly educated communities and gain their sympathy. And believe me those groups know how to use sustainable development as a carrot; whether that is youth unemployment, access to water, or tribal conflicts that lack much needed mediation.
When we model effective cooperation in a society around a shared development need—including by bringing religious leaders into the conversation—we believe that we create the most effective counter narrative to the radical ideology of extremists.
In summary, to be truly successful in countering the incitement and appeal of extremist organizations, we need to address not just the ideological dimension, but crucially also the socioeconomic and political grievances of the populations that extremists prey on. While reducing the space in which terrorists can mobilize support for their activities, this approach also leads to better and more integrated communities that are more resilient and better able to meet the development challenges they face.
Finally, we have knocked on the door of the Security Council offering our expertise in this area, and should the Council oblige us, the UNAOC will bring to bear its experience as a tool for countering terrorism and addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.
We are looking forward to working effectively in the UN system.
I thank you.