Mr President,

First of all, we want to thank Gabon for putting this important topic on the agenda of the Security Council. We congratulate Gabon on assuming their Security Council Presidency for the month of October and are very grateful for the possibility to participate in this high level debate. I also want to thank the briefers for their insight on this topic.

Mr President,

There is indeed an urgent need to understand how armed groups and terrorists finance their activities through the illicit trafficking of natural resources, and to identify the tools that can be used to tackle the problem.

In conflict-affected countries, especially in Africa, terrorist and insurgent groups often exploit the control of areas and key transit and trade hubs to make profit from illicit trafficking and environmental crime. The management of natural resources can unfortunately fuel conflict and radicalization. Insurgents are able to exploit the lack of governance to benefit from black markets and illicit trafficking.

This criminal activity is problematic at many levels. Not only does it sustain terrorist and armed groups, allowing them to establish themselves and expand their activities, it also deprives the population of their precious resources that should be used for their own development. It can also lead to significant environmental damage, or over-exploitation for example of timber and wildlife.

Let me express our appreciation for the efforts of Gabon and other African countries in fighting terrorism and preventing terrorists and armed groups from gaining control over natural resources. The European Union, through our training and capacity building missions on the African continent - in the Sahel, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Mozambique - are contributing to these efforts. Our EU maritime Operation ATALANTA, outside the coast of Somalia, fights piracy and armed robbery at sea but it has also responded to illicit trade in charcoal which finances terrorism in Somalia.

The fight against financing of terrorism and money laundering is a priority for us. The EU is also committed to providing capacity building to third countries to build anti money-laundering capability. We support several projects in West Africa and in the Horn of Africa to strengthen the anti-money laundering and financial investigation capacity of the countries concerned. We also have counter-terrorism experts in five of our EU Delegations in Africa who help build partnerships between the EU and Africa in this crucial area and very much in the spirit of what Kenya referred to as African ownership.

The problem is not only technical, it is political: this is the reason why trafficking and natural resources are at the heart of the European Union Great Lakes Strategy which is currently being discussed with EU Member states and hopefully adopted before the end of this year.

We’re also working to prevent terrorist groups from gaining access to international money and natural resource markets. This means tackling money laundering at an international level. The EU has developed a solid regulatory framework for preventing and combatting money laundering and terrorist financing threats.

In addition to targeting the financial flows directly, we also have to target the natural resources that are being traded. Here I would like to make reference to the Kimberley process, which the EU has been actively engaged in from the beginning. We have learned a lot from this process.

The trafficking in conflict diamonds has virtually stopped. We have also managed to change attitudes, reinforcing the idea that natural resources belong to their communities, not to militias. We have sparked a debate on responsibility in sourcing natural resources. The EU’s Conflict Minerals Regulation requires that all EU importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold to carry out due diligence on their supply chain.

Mr. President,

Africa is a continent that is incredibly rich in natural resources. From forests and wildlife to minerals and precious stones. Whenever terrorist groups take control of these resources to enrich themselves and to sustain their criminal activities, it means that development opportunities are lost for local communities. It means that profits and livelihoods that should belong to the people are stolen. It means that tax revenues that should have funded schools and hospitals are lost. Instead, this exploitation fuels violent conflict and leaves environmental destruction.

We all have a responsibility to combat this together.

The European Union remains committed to partnering with African countries to fight the financing of armed groups and terrorists through the illicit trafficking of natural resources.

I thank you very much, Mr. President.