EU Statement – UN General Assembly: 9th UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy Review
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Madame President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Monaco, San Marino align themselves with this statement.
Let me begin by welcoming the resolution on the Ninth Review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy now before us, and by thanking the co-facilitators, the Permanent Representatives of Finland and Morocco, for their tireless efforts to ensure that the Strategy is updated to reflect the threat and the challenges we face today.
The EU and its Member States welcome the adoption of this resolution. We regret that it has not proved possible to preserve the consensus that has accompanied every previous review.
Counter-terrorism remains at the forefront of the EU’s efforts to promote international peace and security. In an environment already impacted by multiple geopolitical shifts and growing instability, the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, in all their forms and irrespective of their origin, continues to pose a major risk to us all.
The persistence of Da'esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates across Afghanistan, Central Asia, Syria, Iraq, the Sahel and the wider African continent is a stark reminder of this reality. We are equally concerned by the mobilisation of lone actors, including minors and individuals in vulnerable situations, amplified by transnational networks and online ecosystems, and by the misuse of emerging technologies and new avenues for terrorist financing. Taken together, these challenges demand a renewed and collective response, firmly anchored in our shared fundamental values.
The consultations of the past months have underscored the complexity of this issue. While the EU would have welcomed a more ambitious outcome, we appreciate that the text safeguards what we have jointly achieved over two decades of inter-governmental negotiations. We remain hopeful that, with sufficient time and space, the next review will achieve a consensus that fully reflects our posture on today’s threat environment.
As we move towards implementation of the GCTS, respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law remain essential to maintaining its credibility and long-term effectiveness. We must continue to mainstream these commitments across all four pillars of the Strategy. Effective counterterrorism and the protection of human rights are not competing priorities, they are complementary and mutually reinforcing. Counterterrorism measures must remain firmly grounded in international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, and must never be directed against civil society.
Civil society and human rights defenders play an essential role in countering terrorism and violent extremism. In the face of shrinking civic space, we must redouble our efforts to protect them, and we must remain vigilant against the misuse of counterterrorism measures to suppress dissent or silence human rights defenders, including through reprisals for engagement with the United Nations.
We also cannot insist enough on the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women: the Strategy underscores gender equality, implementation remains uneven, and counter-terrorism measures must not inadvertently exacerbate gender inequalities or fuel the grievances that can contribute to radicalisation.
We also wish to highlight the invaluable role of victims and survivors of terrorism, whose voices must be heard and supported as a vital part of an effective, human-centred response.
Madame President,
Terrorist groups exploit armed conflict, governance gaps, mistrust in institutions and social fragility to consolidate their influence. No counterterrorism strategy can succeed without addressing these root causes that lead to radicalisation and allow extremism to take hold. In that spirit, we see real value in reinforcing synergies between counter-terrorism and peacebuilding initiatives. Effective counter-terrorism assistance cannot be delivered in isolation from peacebuilding processes, particularly in post-conflict and fragile settings. Greater coordination between UNOCT, the Compact entities and the broader UN peacebuilding architecture is therefore both a logical and operationally necessary step.
Equally, we must address the growing misuse of emerging technologies by terrorist groups, through a comprehensive multi-stakeholder approach, in close cooperation with the private sector and civil society. Particular attention must be given to the role of digital platforms and online ecosystems in exposing individuals including young people to violent extremist content – while ensuring that emerging technologies are used responsibly and in line with human rights and fundamental freedoms, when employed in support of our counter-terrorism efforts. We must also take into account new threats, including CBRN terrorist attacks according to the Resolution 1540 of the Security Council.
On the institutional side, we continue to encourage the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and all Compact entities to strengthen the mainstreaming of human rights as a cross-cutting issue, while ensuring a gender-responsive approach, and to put in place robust human rights risk assessment and independent oversight. The Strategy’s call for a results framework across all four pillars is an important commitment, but we continue to see room for progress, particularly within UNOCT. Adequate checks and balances are not a peripheral concern; they are central to the credibility and legitimacy of our collective efforts. We look forward to sustained progress and continued reporting on these matters.
At the field level, UNOCT and Compact entities should be better integrated into the structures of resident coordinators and country teams, and aligned with broader UN peace, security and development agendas.
The EU and its Member States remain committed to multilateralism and are among the prime contributors to the Global Compact, devoting considerable financial resources to the capacity-building partnerships that underpin the Strategy.
We commend the co-facilitators’ proactive engagement with civil society in this review, and we thank civil society for their constructive partnership throughout this process. The EU will continue its steadfast collaboration with all Compact entities, and with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, towards the full implementation of the GCTS.
Countering terrorism is a priority we all share. Together we – the United Nations, the European Union, the Member States – have been tirelessly committed to confront this scourge. Only together can we put a stop to terrorists and those who support them.
Thank you.
- North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.