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General Assembly, Fourth Review of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy

Thursday, 12 June 2014
Location: 
New York

Mr. Chair

 

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Member States of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

At the outset, our group would like to express its appreciation for the outstanding and dedicated manner in which H.E. Ambassador Halit Çevik, Permanent Representative of Turkey, and his team, led the review process.

 

Mr. Chair

 

The adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by the General Assembly in September 2006, marked a significant breakthrough in the fight against terrorism,  as Member States recognized and committed themselves to a the plan of action which expanded the global counterterrorism framework to include, not only law enforcement and other security measures, but also measures to ensure respect for human rights and to address conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, such as prolonged unresolved conflict, rule of law problems, violations of human rights, and social, economic and political marginalization.

 

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States reiterates its strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, and reaffirms its robust support to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. For these reasons, CELAC emphasizes the importance of redoubling efforts aimed at achieving an even attention and an integrated and balanced implementation of all four pillars of its scheme. The Fourth Review of the Strategy is an important opportunity to foster more balanced responses to the threat of terrorism.

 

In this regard, CELAC takes note of Secretary Generals' Report A/68/841 on the Activities of the United Nations system in implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which includes important inputs from all members of the Task Force, and concludes with a number of observations and recommendations.

 

CELAC notes with appreciation the Secretary General’s recognition of the need for stronger coordination and coherence within the Task Force itself, and in this regard, notes the appointment of the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs as Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre. Our countries hope that it will contribute to a more balanced implementation of the four pillars of the Strategy. The group also notes the efforts by the Task Force Office to enhance coordination and coherence by drawing up a comprehensive matrix of all projects and activities being carried out by the 31 Task Force entities -included as an annex to the report-, as well as through efforts to reform and revitalize its inter-agency working groups in order to promote coherence and reduce duplication and overlapping.  The group had consistently recommended measures in this regard, and therefore welcomes these important efforts.

 

Mr Chair

 

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States shares some of the views expressed by the Secretary General in Chapter V of his Report, and we fully endorse paragraph 112, which states: “Efforts to prevent and combat terrorism will fail if the international community creates more terrorists than it defeats by its actions. Adherence to pillar IV of the Strategy by observing the universal norms of human rights and the rule of law in the international community’s counter-terrorism activities is essential to the success of its efforts. The Secretary-General, therefore, strongly urges national authorities, particularly security and judicial bodies that are directly responsible for combating terrorism, to make more concerted efforts to mainstream human rights and the rule of law in their counter-terrorism policies and practices.”

 

In this context, CELAC underscores that the measures to combat terrorism must always be conducted in strict observance of international law, including human rights law, international humanitarian law and the international law of refugees. Only those measures adopted in accordance with the UN Charter and other relevant international norms can be successful and garner broad support from the international community. Actions taken outside the international legal framework are unjustifiable, illegal and unacceptable. CELAC recalls, in this sense, General Assembly Resolution 68/178 on the "Protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism", adopted by consensus on 10 December 2013.

 

Among the many relevant issues addressed by said Resolution, CELAC countries would like to highlight the right to privacy, which is essential to human dignity and a fundamental human right, and whose protection is crucial in safeguarding individuals against the abuse of power. We are deeply concerned at the negative impact that State surveillance and/or interception of communications, including extraterritorially, may have on the exercise and enjoyment of human rights.

 

The group strongly rejects the use of Information and Communication Technologies  in violation of International Law,  directed against any Member State, and underscores the importance of ensuring that the use of such technologies is fully compatible with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law, in particular sovereignty, non-interference in internal matters, the right to privacy,  and the internationally recognized rules of peaceful coexistence among States. Furthermore, any interference or restriction on the right to privacy should be adequately regulated by law, subject to effective oversight, and to appropriate redress, including through judicial review or other means, to ensure measures are not arbitrary.

 

In the context of the global counterterrorism framework, CELAC countries reiterate their commitment to intensify international efforts directed to safeguard cyberspace and promote its exclusive use for the achievement of peaceful purposes and as a vehicle to contribute to both economic and social development.

 

Moreover, we uphold, once again, our firm belief in multilateralism in combating terrorism. Congruently, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States also rejects the unilateral elaboration of blacklists accusing States of allegedly supporting and sponsoring terrorism. This action is inconsistent with International Law.

 

Concerning the establishment of the Al Qaeda sanctions regime by the Security Council as a measure in the fight against terrorism, the group recognizes the steps taken by the 1267/1989 Sanctions Committee towards more fair and clear procedures.  In this regard, CELAC strongly supports the role of the Ombudsperson, which has significantly improved the fairness and transparency of the delisting process. We believe the Ombudsperson position should be made permanent and due process further enhanced in the Security Council sanctions regimes, especially given the preventive nature of the measures.

 

Mr Chair

 

 The group would also like to recognize the important work carried out by regional and sub-regional organizations in the implementation of the Strategy, and calls upon them to strengthen their cooperation in order to succeed in the fight against terrorism.

 

In this regard, we urge UNODC to undertake capacity building activities in our region, as well as to continue providing technical assistance, upon request, and taking into account the particular needs and national priorities of our countries. The tools developed by UNODC, including, inter alia, the counter terrorism legislative database, the online learning platform, and the technical assistance tool for countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, are very useful for the prevention of and fight against terrorism.

 

Notwithstanding the significant efforts and achievements in the implementation of the strategy, as reported by the Secretary General, CELAC remains concerned that terrorism continues to constitute a serious threat to individual member States and the international community as a whole.

 

 In order improve the international counter-terrorism legal framework, our group is convinced that a comprehensive convention against international terrorism is required. In this regard, CELAC calls upon Member States to commit to resolve in the 69th session of the General Assembly, the pending issues that have been an obstacle for the achievement of this essential agreement, including those related to the legal definition and the scope of this Convention.

 

Finally, Mr. Chair

 

The members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, reiterate their profound solidarity with the victims of terrorist acts, and underscore the need to provide them with the necessary support. The group is hopeful that the web portal for victims, launched yesterday, will give them a voice and facilitate such support. CELAC also reiterates the need to avoid the impunity of those who commit terrorist acts, in order to bring justice to the victims and their families. In this regard, we call upon Member States to fully cooperate in the fight against terrorism, in accordance with International Law.

 

Thank you, Mr. Chair