Unity, Solidarity and Collaboration’ Can Turn Tide on Terrorism, Bolster Human Rights, Says UN Chief

New York, MINA – Noting that at least 11,000 terrorist attacks occurred in more than 100 countries last year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed on Thursday that “terrorism is fundamentally the denial and destruction of human rights.”

“Terrorism has been unfortunately with us in various forms across ages and continents,” WAM reported citing Mr. Guterres in a lecture on counter-terrorism and human rights at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.

“But modern terrorism is being waged on an entirely different scale, and notably its geographic span. No country can claim to be immune,” he added.

Last year, more than 25,000 people died and 33,000 injured in at least 11,000 terrorist attacks in more than 100 countries.

In 2016, nearly three-quarters of all deaths caused by terrorism were in just five states: Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria and Somalia.

The global economic impact of terrorism is estimated to have reached $90 billion in 2015. That year, terrorism costs amounted to 17.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in Iraq and 16.8 per cent in Afghanistan.

He announced his intention to convene the first-ever UN summit of heads of counter-terrorism agencies next year to forge new partnerships and build relationships of trust.

He went on to underscore five key counter-terrorism priorities: stronger international cooperation; prevention; human rights and the rule of law; the battle of ideas and finally is to lift up the voices of the victims of terrorism.

Terrorists are losing physical ground in Syria and Iraq, but gaining virtual ground in cyberspace. Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube have launched an anti-terror partnership, the ‘Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism,’ aimed at thwarting the spread of extremist content online,” he added.

He urged young people to become clear-thinking and enlightened citizens. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)