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.
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)