NEW YORK, JUNE 28 – Addressing an High Level Conference on Counter-terrorism, Italy today reaffirmed the need to dry up all sources of terrorism financing to tackle all forms of radicalization. Italy’s committment, expressed by Ambassador Stefano Stefanile, was also reflected in the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh hosted today in Rome where the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expresses strong support to the Italian initiative of an anti-Isis working group for Africa.
The Conference is the second of its kind, following a first meeting in 2018. The European Union High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell virtually addressed the three-day meeting arguing that nobody can fight terrorism alone. “That’s why the European Union is cooperating closely with the UN and other multilateral partners to tackle global terrorism and other violent forms of extremism, transnational organised crime and cybercrime, money laundering and terrorism financing. The EU will continue to strengthen its partnerships, first and foremost with the United Nations. I am pleased that the EU-UN High Level Political Dialogue on Counter Terrorism took place last December and that the EU and the UN are working together on a growing portfolio of joint activities on the ground”, said Borrell.
Although the fight against terrorism has made important advances in thwarting attacks across the world, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that threats continue to persist and diversify. By exploiting social grievances and gender stereotypes, “the fight against terrorism has itself caused damage”, inspiring lone actors and co-opting other groups, Guterres told the Second High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism.
Recounting “especially alarming” advances of Al-Qaida and ISIL terrorist fighters in Africa, he upheld the importance of supporting the continent as “a global priority”. He also expressed deep concern over foreign terrorist fighters and underscored the need to hold them accountable, while drawing attention to the fate of the tens of thousands of relatives, women and children who are associated with them, and urging Member States for their repatriation, particularly the children “who remain stranded in conflict zones”.
Under the overarching theme “Countering and Preventing Terrorism in the Age of Transformative Technologies: Addressing the Challenges of the New Decade,” the UN Conference is providing a platform for Member States, United Nations entities, international and regional organizations, civil society organizations, and the private sector to exchange information, experiences, and good practices, as well as to explore further cooperation on key counter-terrorism priorities under the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. (@OnuItalia)
