Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the briefing on the threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts; threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security

Thank you, Mr. President.

I wish to thank Under-Secretary-General Voronkov and the Executive Director Gherman for their informative briefings. Our thanks also go to the monitoring team.

Mr. President,

Reports on the threat posed by Da’esh consistently contain the observation that despite sustained and relatively successful counter-terrorism efforts, terrorist groups are showing adaptability and resilience. Slovenia is concerned by the reported trends related to the use, exploitation and misuse of new and emerging technologies, such as drones, financing through cryptocurrencies and spreading terrorist narrative by the using of the Artificial Intelligence.

While responses tend to lag, it is all the more imperative that national and international efforts, including measures adopted by this Council, follow suit and become more flexible. States need to build a robust counterterrorist structure and more capacity to fight terrorism on these new fronts. All efforts need to be comprehensive, inclusive and cooperative in order to be effective.

On this note, we welcome the clarification in the resolution 2734 on ISIL and Al Qaida sanctions regime that sexual and gender-based violence constitutes a form of terrorism and is thereby part of the listing criteria when perpetrated by these groups.

Mr. President,

Slovenia shares the concern about the disproportionate impact of terrorist threat in fragile and conflict-affected environments, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel and welcomes the focus of today’s discussion on the region. With the predominant focus on the kinetic counter-terrorism operations in the region, we would like to emphasize the pivotal role of tackling the drivers of terrorism.

Social and economic circumstances, human-rights violations and abuses, effects of climate change and competition for natural resources as well as intra- and inter-communal tensions all serve as drivers of radicalization, which are exploited by terrorists for recruitment and spreading of their narratives. They must be addressed through comprehensive, inclusive, human rights based, and gender responsive efforts in partnership with civil society and local communities. The most effective way to fight terrorism is from the ground up, starting with building strong, democratic institutions and resilience of local communities.

The UN Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai said, I quote: »With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill terrorism,” end quote. Education not only enables critical thinking, but also opens up opportunities, lack of which is one of the main drivers, in particularly for children and youth, to seek alternatives.

Regional and international support and cooperation are essential in these endeavors, as terrorism does not abide and is not restricted by national borders. In this context, we welcome the launch of the Abuja process that we are confident will lead to increased cooperation. Slovenia advocates for effective coordination of the existing counter-terrorism initiatives in the region and prevention of local fragmentation of the efforts.

Mr. President,

We recognize the drawdown of UNITAD and their efforts to categorize and organize the evidence collected before handing it over to the Iraqi authorities. However, in our opinion the end of UNITAD mandate does not mean that its intended goal, namely helping to ensure accountability of the members of Da’esh, has been fully realized.

Much attention has been paid to accountability mechanism in the Middle East. However, because of the shift of Da’esh activity to Africa, notably to West Africa and the Sahel, additional focus is needed to fight impunity and ensure accountability in the region. Perpetrators of terrorist acts, regardless of who or where they are, should be brought to justice.

Accountability is also an essential part of the counter-terrorism efforts. Not just in order to satisfy the States or to signal to perpetrators the unacceptability of their actions, but above all to show the victims of terrorism that have gone through unimaginable trauma that they are heard and hopefully bring them some closure.

I thank you.

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