President,
Norway thanks USG Voronkov, acting Executive Director Chen, and Mr. Ewi for your informative briefings today.
We remain concerned that the threat from ISIL and its affiliates remains high- particularly in conflict zones.
And that this negative trend continues despite the significant leadership attrition the group has suffered in recent months.
While the group remains territorially defeated in Syria and Iraq, it retains the ability to conduct attacks in this region- and its presence elsewhere continues to grow, particularly in Afghanistan and across Africa.
As the Secretary-General’s report yet again reminds us, ISIL sustains itself by deliberately exploiting a range of vulnerabilities – including armed conflict, political instability, economic inequality, and human rights abuses – in order to radicalize and attract recruits.
As such, it is crucial that counterterrorism efforts form part of a broader political strategy, one that responds to this context.
The international community therefore must pay close attention to the potential effects of the current geopolitical climate on underlying drivers of radicalization.
Russia’s war against Ukraine- following the devastation already wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic- has further destabilised global supply chains, exasperating inflation, energy shortages, and food insecurity.
This is fertile ground for ISIL to further spread its hateful ideology.
President,
Norway takes note of the UN’s support to Member States’ counterterrorism efforts- as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report- and we commend the Organization for its comprehensive work in this area, guided by the four pillars of the UN’s Global Counterterrorism Strategy.
However, the report also highlights the need for a more robust monitoring and evaluation framework to better assess the impact of UN counterterrorism activities on the ground.
Indeed, there is a tonal discrepancy between the concern the report details about the current threat posed by ISIL, and the confidence with which it describes the UN’s capacity-building measures;
A clearer analytical connection between the two is necessary to ensure coherence, and demonstrate impact.
President,
To be effective, the counterterrorism efforts of both Member States and the UN should be guided by a preventative, whole-of-society approach.
One that is conflict-sensitive, gender-responsive and human rights-compliant.
It is only though such a strategy that addresses the root causes of terrorism in a comprehensive and integrated manner that will be successful in building true resilience – and defeating ISIL once and for all.
Thank you.