On June 29, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the High Level Conference on Counter-Terrorism during the fourth session dedicated to “Strengthening the role and capacity of the United Nations to support Member States to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.”
In his statement, Archbishop Auza said that the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, should marshal their multiple resources to support countries with limited resources to fight terrorism and the spread of terrorist ideologies. The UN Counter-Terrorism Office should incorporate human rights, development and education support into its assistance. The rule of law, human rights conventions and international humanitarian law should always be observed in counter-terrorism, he added. He urged counter-terrorism offices at all levels to enhance collaboration with civil society organizations to address the issues of radicalization and recruitment because the success of counter-terrorism efforts depends on local capacities, initiatives and populations. Respect for the right to assembly and to freedom of speech is essential, he noted, as is sincere interreligious and intercultural dialogue and cooperation.
The statement can be found here.