Intervention by the Vice-Minister for Political Multilateral Affairs, Ambassador Carlos Márcio Bicalho Cozendey, during the UN Security Council High-Level Debate on "Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Countering Terrorism and Preventing Extremism Conducive to Terrorism by Strengthening Cooperation Between the United Nations and Regional Organizations Mechanisms” - March 28th, 2023

Obrigado, Senhor Presidente.

Mister President,

At first, I would like to say that I am proud to participate in this debate under your chairmanship. Mozambique calls our attention to the important contribution of regional and sub-regional organizations to the fight against terrorism and to the maintenance of international peace and security in general.

I would also like to thank the Secretary-General António Guterres and President of Comoros Azali Assoumani, Chairperson of the African Union, as well as the eminent persons that preceded me for their insightful remarks.

Mister President,

The UN Charter attaches special relevance to the role regional and sub-regional organizations can play in the maintenance of international peace and security and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Article 53 allows the Security Council to resort to regional arrangements for enforcement action under its authority. This option favors the configuration of tailor-made solutions that take into consideration local realities as so many before me expressed.

In the same vein, the Security Council acknowledged in a number of resolutions how such mechanisms may be critical in preventing and defusing tensions and in countering menaces to our collective security such as international terrorism.

This is particularly relevant given that we should not expect that terrorism can be fought by a one size fits-all approach that does not reflect the actual ethnic, religious, political and socioeconomic realities of the countries involved.

Recently, this Council addressed the increase of terrorism in the African continent. This trend is indeed very worrisome.

The rise of terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism seriously hampers hard won gains in terms of development and stability. It also aggravates existing conflicts, with significant repercussions to peace and security of the whole continent, including by adding an additional challenge for UN peacekeeping missions in fulfilling their mandates.

Facing this enormous challenge, Africa has given remarkable examples of how regional and sub-regional mechanisms can address the threat posed by terrorist groups.

The Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique has achieved significant results in countering terrorism in Cabo Delgado. ATMIS has been working on reducing Al-Shabaab capacities. The Accra Initiative may further contribute to containing the spillover of terrorism from the Sahel to neighboring regions. The Multinational Joint Task Force`s counter-terrorist operations may as well bring an important contribution to peace and security in the Lake Chad Basin region. We also hope that the G5 Sahel Joint Force will overcome its current challenges since its actions are also relevant for countering terrorism in the region and preventing it from spreading to its neighborhood.

Mister President,

Our counter terrorism efforts will never be enough if we don´t address the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, such as prolonged unresolved conflicts, failure in enforcing the rule of law, violations of human rights, ethnic, national and religious discrimination, political exclusion and socioeconomic marginalization and unemployment.

In this regard, we emphasize the importance of relevant UN bodies´ work in supporting activities to foster economic development and social justice, in full respect of national sovereignties, with the aim of reducing inequalities and the sentiment of injustice that can arise from local and global disparities.

The latest UNDP report on extremism in Africa, which deals with recruitment and disengagement, shows that economic incentives, such as opportunities of employment, are important drivers that pull individuals towards this kind of activity. The report makes it clear that we must move away from exclusively security-driven responses and adopt development-based approaches.

According to the report, investments in peacebuilding yield a positive return, estimated at a ratio of 16:1. This means that for every USD$1 invested in peacebuilding, $16 could be saved on the costs of conflict and violent extremism that are conducive to terrorism.

So the Peacebuilding Commission, with its representative composition and bridging mandate, is well placed to promote coherence among relevant UN system actors, mobilize regional organizations and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and foster South-South and triangular cooperation arrangements in support of national capacities. By enabling capacity-building, the PBC can also support Member States in countering terrorism.

So Mister Chairman, I would add that suggestion to your list of suggestions that you presented.                                                

Finally, we would like to underscore that counterterrorism is only effective if in strict compliance with international law, including the UN Charter, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law.

Mister President,

Brazil reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The repudiation of terrorism is enshrined in the Brazilian Constitution as a guiding principle of our international relations. Our foreign policy also highly values the role of regional and sub-regional organizations in securing a safer and more peaceful world. We must not hesitate to support them in combatting terrorism.

Muito obrigado pela sua sessão.

Thank you very much.