On October 4, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, gave an intervention during the Sixth Committee debate on Agenda Item 109 dedicated to “Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism.”

In his statement, Archbishop Auza said that combatting terrorism requires worldwide cooperation and solidarity. He analyzed the needed response to terrorism on the basis of the four pillars at the foundation of the United Nations: peace and security, human rights, the rule of law and integral development. Terrorism attacks all four of these pillars. He applauded the formation of a Working Group to draft a comprehensive convention on international terrorism and said international cohesion is necessary to deny terrorists access to cyber technologies, financing, and safe harbor. He said that no ideological, political, philosophical, racial, ethnic or religious reasons can justify terrorism. The end of fighting it, however, demands proper means: respect for fundamental human rights, for the UN Charter and for international law; otherwise we risk corroding the values we seek to defend. He added that, to counter the narratives and ideologies terrorists use to recruit and radicalize others, there must be a focus on integral development.

His statement can be found here.