High-Level Open Debate on the 20th Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1373 and the establishment of the Counter Terrorism Committee: achievements in international cooperation, challenges and opportunities

New York, 12 January 2021

Canada would first like to thank the Republic of Tunisia for organizing this Open Debate which provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the important developments since Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) was adopted. It also gives cause to identify challenges, consider emerging trends and assess opportunities to shape future multilateral action to counter terrorism as we approach the review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) this summer.

Since 2001, the international community has made great efforts to combat the global threat of terrorism. While we have achieved significant progress, the threat continues to evolve and adapt to our concerted action.  The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on almost every aspect of our lives, including the security landscape.  It is not only a public health crisis – it is also an economic, social, and gendered crisis that has deepened existing inequalities and plunged tens of millions of people into extreme poverty. Increased poverty and inequality, coupled with the marked increases in Internet use, has provided terrorists and violent extremist groups with new opportunities to manipulate individuals and generate fear and confusion. This has enabled them to increase recruitment, raise money, propagate hateful messages, and spread damaging misinformation. Moreover, the international community is witnessing increasing instances of ideologically motivated violent extremism that are incited by narratives of violent misogyny, nationalist or racial supremacy. These varied movements, and complex, emerging forms of violent extremism present grave challenges to the international community. They are a threat to our democratic institutions and values, and to the safety, security and stability of our communities and must be vigorously opposed.

Destabilizing threats to democracy, the rule of law, human rights, social and economic development, peace and security demand an urgent response. In the current and post COVID-19 environment, we need to become as creative as our adversaries if we are to stem this trend. We must also stand up for human rights and ensure adequate safeguards are in place so that our counter terrorism efforts do not inadvertently exacerbate vulnerabilities, including of minority or marginalized communities.

In the lead up to the 7^th biennial review of the GCTS, Canada is committed to ensuring that our UN counter-terrorism (CT) efforts are responsive to the rapidly evolving CT environment, and practically support the work of front-line practitioners, who are at the core of preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism in their local communities.

To ensure effective and sustainable approaches, it is vital that our global CT interventions respect human rights consistent with international law, are victim and trauma-informed, age and gender sensitive, and responsive to the diverse needs and experiences of the individual and community.

The voices of women’s groups and civil society organizations must be at the table and meaningfully integrated in all of our peace and security efforts.

In particular, a gender-informed approach that recognizes the varied experiences and roles men and women play in terrorist and violent extremist organizations is crucial to our global efforts. Terrorist groups exploit and reinforce harmful gender norms and dynamics in order to recruit, radicalise and retain membership. By recognizing and understanding these dynamics, we can more effectively combat terrorism and violent extremism.

A civilian led, evidence-based approach that respects human rights will lead to better, more effective impacts that are sustainable, long-term, and foster community resilience.

In sum, the human rights pillar of the UN CT architecture must be more fully rooted in all aspects of the GCTS.

Despite its significance and many achievements, the GCTS must continue to evolve to achieve its full potential. As partners, we can work together to promote, protect and support local-level actors to build capacity to deal with radicalization to violence in their communities. The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which Canada co-chairs with the Kingdom of Morocco, strengthens our coordinated response to terrorism by providing a platform to share tools, best practices and lessons learned that are shared with the global community.  As we have seen, terrorists are creative and opportunistic. The GCTF’s action oriented, nimble and informal approach makes it particularly well-placed to support the UN Global Counter Terrorism Compact work to counter terrorism and to prevent violent extremism.

Canada looks forward to continuing our constructive and cooperative discussions during this year’s GCTS review.

Thank you.