EU Statement -- UN General Assembly Sixth Committee on Agenda item 112: “Measures to eliminate international terrorism”

Chair,

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

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia as well as Armenia and Monaco, align themselves with this statement.

We thank the Secretary-General for the preparation of the comprehensive report on measures to eliminate international terrorism.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. Counter Terrorism remains a top priority in the EU’s efforts to promote international peace and security.

In an environment shaped by geopolitical shifts and growing instability, terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism continue to pose a risk to the international community as a whole. Al-Qaida, ISIL (Da’esh), and their affiliates remain present in Afghanistan, Central Asia, Syria, Iraq, the Sahel, and the wider African continent and remain the most prominent threat. Moreover, politically motivated violent extremism, including from the far-right and to a lesser extent the far-left, along with the exploitation of new technologies for terrorist purposes, remain significant areas of concern.

In February this year, the European Commission presented a new “Agenda to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism”. As a flagship initiative under the EU’s Protect EU Internal Security Strategy, the Agenda sets out how we will anticipate evolving threats such as the growing involvement of minors and the misuse of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, prevent radicalisation, protect people online and offline, secure public spaces and critical infrastructure, and improve our response to attacks. It also recognises that the internal and external dimensions of counter-terrorism cannot be separated, and that cooperation with international partners, with full respect for the rule of law, human rights and international law, is an integral part of our own security.

The European Union values its counter-terrorism partnerships with countries in all regions and with international and regional organisations, first and foremost the United Nations, where we are one of the largest donors to counter-terrorism capacity-building. We are equally proud to co-chair, together with Egypt, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, which marked its 15^th anniversary this year and remains a unique platform for turning shared experience into practical guidance and concrete support for partners on the ground.

Allow me to draw particular attention to the following aspects for the work of this Committee:

First, we welcome the recent adoption of the resolution on the 9^th review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. While we regret that for the first time in its history, the review was not adopted by consensus, we would like to express our gratitude to the co-facilitators, Finland and Morocco, for their dedication and efforts throughout the process, which helped the General Assembly reach an outcome that safeguards the achievements of over two decades of intergovernmental negotiations. We observe with concern the efforts made during the negotiations to remove core elements of the Strategy relating to human rights protection, civil society participation and gender-related aspects of counter-terrorism, which would have undermined the Strategy’s credibility and long-term effectiveness. We would have wished for an outcome that would have better equipped the Strategy to meet today’s challenges, including the misuse of emerging technologies –  in particular Artificial Intelligence – for terrorist purposes, and their responsible use in counter-terrorism; but also reinforcing the mainstreaming of human rights across all four pillars of the Strategy, enhancing accountability and transparency of United Nations counter-terrorism entities, and strengthening the safe and meaningful participation of civil society in their work.

Second, the European Union remains committed to a multilateral approach to counter-terrorism that is fully grounded in international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law. Effective counter-terrorism and the protection of human rights are not competing priorities; they are complementary and mutually reinforcing. Human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are the cornerstone of any sustainable counter-terrorism strategy and must be integrated throughout all aspects of the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Counter-terrorism measures must never serve as a pretext for human rights violations, nor be directed against civil society.

Third, as civic space continues to shrink and human rights are under continued pressure, we must redouble our efforts to protect civil society organisations. Their work is essential to addressing the conditions conducive to terrorism and enhances both the legitimacy and the effectiveness of our collective efforts. In this context, we cannot stress enough the importance of the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women. Counter-terrorism measures that lack a gender-responsive approach risk exacerbating rising inequalities and pre-existing prejudices, fuelling the very grievances that contribute to radicalisation. Equally, the voices of victims and survivors of terrorism must be heard and supported as an integral part of an effective, human-centred response.

Fourth, terrorist groups exploit armed conflict, governance gaps, mistrust in institutions and social fragility to consolidate their influence. No counter-terrorism strategy can succeed without addressing the conditions that lead to radicalisation and allow violent extremism to take hold. We therefore see real value in taking into consideration the 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.

Fifth, terrorist groups continue to exploit emerging technologies, in particular digital platforms and online ecosystems to disseminate violent extremist content and to target young people, and, more recently, artificial intelligence and commercial satellite communications as well as drone technology. These trends require a comprehensive multi-stakeholder approach, in close cooperation with the private sector and civil society, to ensure that emerging technologies are used responsibly and in line with human rights and fundamental freedoms. The EU supports efforts initiated by the Security Council in its Presidential Statement adopted on 11 September 2026 to address this threat. We should also remain vigilant to the risk of terrorists exploiting technological developments to facilitate the acquisition, development or use of chemical and biological weapons and related materials.

Finally, the EU deplores the increasing politicisation of counter-terrorism and strongly supports efforts to revitalise the negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Recent developments in Europe show that agreement on definitions is possible: in May this year, the Protocol (CETS No 231) amending the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism was opened for signature and signed by the European Union and a first group of Council of Europe member States. Once in force, it will establish the first common definition of terrorist offences at regional level, and it demonstrates that shared legal frameworks can strengthen international cooperation while fully safeguarding human rights. We invite other delegations to consider this experience and stand ready to engage in a constructive and meaningful dialogue on that basis.

Chair,

The European Union and its Member States remain steadfast in our commitment to multilateralism. We stand ready to work with all partners to strengthen our collective security and uphold the fundamental values that unite us in the fight against international terrorism.

I thank you.

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