Declaração do Brasil por ocasião da 80ª e 81ª Sessões Plenárias da Assembleia Geral sobre a Estratégia Global de Antiterrorismo das Nações Unidas - 22 de junho de 2023
United Nations General Assembly | 80th and 81st Plenary meetings
The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (Agenda item 121)
June 22nd and 23rd, 2023
Mister President,
Brazil welcomes the adoption of the 8th Review of the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy by this General Assembly. We commend the co-facilitators for promoting an inclusive negotiation and for their tireless efforts to build consensus over a highly sensitive and complex issue.
Our ability to achieve consensus, even under challenging circumstances, illustrates how the international community can unite to counter a phenomenon that endangers us all and appalls us over its sheer injustice.
Mister President,
Although we should celebrate the resolution adopted today, we must also reflect on why we were not able to be more ambitious.
For consensus to be achieved, we were compelled to content ourselves with a revision that is slightly more than a technical update of the 7th Review. We should profit from the lessons we learned to understand better what divides us and what unites us.
It is naturally difficult to agree on a strategy to combat an enemy whose identity we do not know exactly. Despite all the international conventions criminalizing certain terrorist acts, all Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism and the eight GCTS reviews, we still lack an internationally agreed-upon legal definition of terrorism.
It is high time to overcome the decades-long stalemate in the Sixth Committee related to the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism. The adoption of this convention would fill a gap in international law. It would also help avoid frequent perceptions of double standards that weaken the fight against this threat.
Mister President,
Brazil welcomes the acknowledgement of the primary role of States to counter terrorism and criminality within their jurisdictions and the contribution of international and regional cooperation to strengthening their capacities.
We are also glad that the Strategy was updated to acknowledge the adoption of the Security Council resolution 2664 last December. Ensuring the civilian population’s access to unhindered impartial humanitarian assistance is necessary even in contexts where counter-terrorism sanctions apply.
Resolution 2664 bears on the effectiveness of counter-terrorism measures. Terrorism is a disease. Sanctions should not stifle the patients, the civilian population who has the misfortune to live in territories controlled by terrorist groups or where they are active. Rather, they should address the disease itself. Otherwise, frustration and deprivation can fuel radicalization.
We regret that the strategy could not be improved in relation to the UN sanctions regimes, which can be used for countering terrorism. In our view, there is a need to improve the listing and delisting processes, by ensuring that they are evidence-based. Otherwise, perceptions of politicization and selectivity could undermine the legitimacy of the UN Sanctions Committees.
Brazil also believes that an independent review mechanism, such as the Ombudsperson Office, would strengthen UN sanctions regimes. For this to happen, however, we would also need to ensure that its procedures meet due process standards. This includes improving the Ombudsperson’s working methods.
Mister President,
During the debates, we noticed a justifiable interest in reinforcing monitoring and evaluation capacities on the implementation of the strategy.
However, we must strike a balance between the need to ensure monitoring, reporting on and evaluation of the Strategy and the importance of avoiding the diversion of resources that would lack for the implementation of the Strategy itself. In the context of ever-increasing demands to UN entities against the backdrop of resource constraints, we must be judicious in calibrating our different needs and priorities.
It is salso necessary to undertake a deeper analysis of what we expect from a single results framework to evaluate the activities of the UN entities in the diversity of their mandates. In the first place, we must explore how we can benefit more from existing mechanisms, such as the working groups of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact.
We fully endorse the appeal made this Monday by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism for a thorough evaluation on the impact of counter-terrorism measures on human rights.
Governments cannot delegate their primary responsibility to fight terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Nevertheless, in the implementation of the Strategy, we must facilitate enhanced geographical representation of civil society organizations, as well as increased engagement at the community level, taking in due account the contributions that underrepresented groups, women, youth and survivors of terrorism can make.
Mister President,
In concluding, it is essential for an effective implementation of the Strategy to maintain the delicate balance between its four pillars. The measures to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen Member States’ and the UN system’s capacities to address this threat must go hand in hand with a special attention to its root causes and an absolute respect for human rights and the rule law. Otherwise, we will stand no chances of defeating terrorism with durable results.
Thank you.