– CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY –

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, the potential candidate country Georgia as well as Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

We would like to thank the co-facilitators, Canada and Tunisia, for taking up the important task of facilitating the 8^th review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS). We also welcome the zero draft shared with the membership earlier this week.

We would also like to thank the Secretary-General for the report on the progress of the implementation of the GCTS published on 28 February.

The EU and its 27 Member States will negotiate as one. We will engage in this process constructively with the clear aim to ensure a consensual outcome as has been the case in all previous 7 reviews.

Let me now turn to our priorities for this review. At this stage, I will present the general outline of our priorities. Detailed textual suggestions will follow shortly in writing.

Counter terrorism remains at the top of the EU’s agenda but also at the forefront of efforts to promote peace and security. The evolving threat of terrorism and of violent extremism, in all their forms and irrespective of their origin, continues to pose a major risk to all of us. The growing threat posed by Daech and Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in West Africa, from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea, in Eastern and Southern Africa, the growing threat posed by Daech and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Central Asia, as well as the persistent threats in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere attest to this. The threat posed by terrorist groups and lone actors is very present within the European Union as well.[1] The review should aim to capture this evolution building on the significant achievements of the 7^th review.

Equally, the misuse of emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, new avenues for terrorist financing, and the growth of politically motivated extremism and terrorism in the past years highlight the need for a better understanding of all these trends, and for enhanced multilateral engagement and strengthened cooperation in accordance with our commonly shared principles.

As underlined by the Secretary General in his report of 28 February on the implementation of the GCTS, ‘efforts aimed at preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism that may be conducive to terrorism must adopt a comprehensive approach that duly considers the universal, indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated nature of all human rights engaged in this context.’[2] At the same time, ‘the principle of gender equality is firmly grounded in international human rights law’.[3] Failure to do so undermines these efforts, operational effectiveness and the reputation of the UN.[4] The EU further sees these principles as enablers of effective multilateral efforts to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism.

As stated by the Secretary-General, ‘a whole-of-society approach is a prerequisite for effective and sustainable efforts to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism and the effective integration of human rights, rule of law and gender equality considerations.’[5] Meaningful engagement with civil society, including women-led civil society organisations and women human rights defenders, as well as the promotion of civic space are part and parcel of this approach.

We welcome in this regard the expressed intention of the co-facilitators to involve CSOs in a meaningful manner in the review process as well.

More specifically:

Only a holistic approach that does not rely only on military and security action but also addresses the root causes of terrorism can be effective. These include socio-economic inequalities, bad governance, as well as the impact of organised crime activities and climate change; commitment to the rule of law extends to the UN counter-terrorism institutional structures allowing for independent oversight and enhanced monitoring and evaluation; the roles of the Office of the Ombudsperson  to the Daech and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and of UN entities with a human rights mandate are crucial in this regard; we also need to address the negative impacts of national counter-terrorism legislation that is not in compliance with international law, infringing upon human rights and limiting as a result the success of counter-terrorism efforts, including by affecting and endangering development, peacebuilding, impartial humanitarian action and civil society.we also need to ensure gender-responsive approaches to the prevention and countering of violent extremism and terrorism; mainstream CSO engagement and safeguard civic space; further promote opportunities and empowerment for young people and women to enable them to improve their roles as  agents of change in society; we further need to continue combatting impunity for terrorist acts, ensuring accountability for the perpetrators through criminal justice responses that uphold human rights, including procedural rights, and respect for rule of law. The importance of a victim-centred approach to accountability for terrorist acts should be recognised, underscoring the relevance of initiatives on truth-seeking, compensation and the rehabilitation of all victims, including victims of sexual and gender based violence. We need to protect and empower victims while also approaching them as agents of prevention of further terrorist acts. We welcome in this regard the first Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism.

These elements are cross-cutting and must be integrated in all programmes and CT measures.

Extremism inspired by political ideologies continued to gain relevance in recent years. There is a pressing need for an effective response, including to ideologically and politically motivated terrorism and violent extremism, such as right wing extremism, and to a lesser extent left-wing extremism.

In addition, preventing, detecting and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) is key to effectively addressing the terrorist threat, in line with international standards such as those set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and EU AML/CFT legislation. UN Security Council resolutions thereon, including Resolution 2462(2019) that requires Member States to criminalise the financing of terrorism while complying with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law, must be fully and timely implemented. FATF standards effectively and fully complied with. This also extends to fighting the deleterious effects of non-transparent foreign financing of cultural, civil and religious organisations. The prevention and countering of terrorism financing also means adapting to the use of online crowdfunding, virtual assets and new technologies in addition to more traditional ways of financing, which include, drugs, human trafficking, and illicit trafficking in natural resources or cultural property. At the same time, we must ensure that civic space is safeguarded from the possible negative effects of implementing CFT measures, in accordance with UNSC resolution 2664.

Preventing and countering emerging (thematic) threats is an area of counterterrorism policy that requires increased global cooperation. New technologies, the misuse of the internet and social media platforms, drones and 3D printing present real and new opportunities for terrorist organisations and individuals. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic appears to have exacerbated risks of online radicalisation in vulnerable groups in society and to have increased the threat of lone actors. Social media platforms have been a catalyst for the spread of disinformation. A multi-stakeholder approach is needed, involving constructive cooperation with the private sector, civil society, academia, and a robust exchange of lessons learned between partner countries. Equally, while new and emerging technologies can provide innovative ways to counter terrorist threats, such technologies must not be misused to violate human rights.

In conclusion:

Countering terrorism is a priority we all share. Together – the UN, the European Union, the Member States - we have been committed tirelessly to mitigate this scourge. Only together can we stop terrorists and their backers.

In this regard, the EU and its Member States are ready to work with the co-facilitators and other delegations to ensure a consensual outcome of this review - an outcome that effectively guides UN-wide efforts.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

[1] See Europol’s 2022 Terrorism Situation & Trend Report (TE-SAT).

[2] (Annex II, para 5).

[3] (Annex II, para 11).

[4] (Annex II, para 36).

[5] (Annex II, para 43).