Under-Secretary-General Feltman,
Director-General Tokayev,
High Commissioner Pillay,
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Geneva is a city of peace and the capital of human rights. It may therefore seem paradoxical to hold a meeting in Geneva to talk of terror and of terrorism. But nothing could be more logical.
We live in a world marked by great complexity and rapid change. New powers are emerging, the balance of power is shifting and we are confronted with global challenges. In this context, it is more difficult, but also more necessary than ever before, to establish the foundations of effective global government. Geneva has a central role to play in the coordination of these efforts.
The Swiss government is convinced that the fight against terrorism is one of the global challenges that deserve and demand our collective attention. All states are affected by this threat and no single state can tackle it on its own.
The results of international co-operation in the fight against terrorism are encouraging and the UN has a central role to play.
The reason why the UN is so important in countering terrorism is its holistic approach. The UN acts holistically through its universality and in the way in which it interlinks different issues in addressing terrorism.
In March 2005 , the Secretary-General emphasized that in an increasingly interconnected world, progress in the areas of development, security and human rights must go hand in hand.
The follow-up report of April 2006 entitled "Uniting against terrorism: recommendations for a global counter-terrorism strategy", applied this idea to the specific counter-terrorism challenge. This report underpins today's Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It is based on the principle that development can only be achieved and sustained if institutions and mechanisms of governance ensure the security and safety of its citizens. The report convincingly argues that a counter-terrorism policy can only become successful when the security issue is interlinked with development and human rights.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen
This point is pivotal: the success of an antiterrorism policy can be guaranteed only by associating development and respect for human rights with the security dimension.
Any other approach would merely mean treating the symptoms of the disease without trying to treat the cause.
This spirit - an integrated and coherent approach, a global vision - naturally finds its place here in Geneva. The challenges of development, human rights and human security are dealt with here throughout the year in the numerous international organisations and NGOs that are based here and in the many international conferences and seminars. What better place could there be in which to acquire a global vision of them and to discern their interconnections?
There is a specific spirit that pervades Geneva. The spirit of peace, the spirit of human values. And the spirit of cooperation between nations and with the numerous other actors on the international scene. Working together in a coordinated manner is something that we take for granted in our daily interaction. I hope that this spirit of Geneva and the high level of competence that is present here will contribute to the success of this conference.
We are particularly happy that the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) established by the Secretary General has requested Switzerland to host this second International Focal Points Conference against Terrorism.
I would like to thank our host, the United Nations in Geneva, and in particular Director-General Tokayev, for their hospitality.
I would also like to express our gratitude to the Co-Chair of this Conference, Under-Secretary-General Feltman, for the efforts made by him and his team to prepare this conference and, we firmly believe, to ensure its success.
The presence of Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights further underlines the importance of respect for human rights as part of a holistic strategy.
The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is based on four key elements:
- Measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism;
- Measures to prevent and combat terrorism focusing on non-military tool;
- strengthening of national capacities to fight terrorism;
- Measures to ensure respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis of the fight against terrorism.
This global approach creates a framework enabling coherent action to counter a complex phenomenon, a highly protean disease which requires treatment on various fronts.
By highlighting the importance of respecting human rights and the rule of law, the strategy reminds us that the fundamental values of our societies - values that terrorists are combating - must be preserved precisely in this fight. Here synergies between security, development and human rights are crucial when confronted with a terrorist threat that is particularly complex and constantly evolving.
We also need to remember that the quest for security must not lead to excessive infringements of the right to privacy, which is a cornerstone of individual liberty. Would we have a better society if honest citizens were subjected to constant surveillance by governments, with all the abuses that this may bring? In Switzerland's view the answer is definitely no.
Here synergies between security, development and human rights are crucial when confronted with a terrorist threat that is complex and constantly developing.
The threat of terrorism includes the taking and killing of hostages, as was the case in In Amenas in Algeria in January, and the killing of seven hostages from four countries in Nigeria in March this year. It also includes the terrorist attacks in Niger in May which caused numerous deaths and injuries.
The threat posed by individuals turning into terrorists has also moved to the foreground, as we have seen in the attacks in Boston and London.
The UN itself has not been spared from terrorist attacks either, as the attack on an office in the compound of the International Organization for Migration has shown. At the end of May, the heart of the humanitarian world was hit, when the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan was attacked.
Our thoughts go out to the victims of such attacks and to their families, and to all the victims of terrorist attacks throughout the world. Switzerland condemns terrorism in all its forms. These recent examples tragically demonstrate how essential international cooperation and the work that we are doing here today is.
Terrorism does not respect national borders. It is a complex evil that poisons our societies. Clearly it cannot be associated with any particular ethnic origin, nationality or religion. No society is spared by this phenomenon.
Switzerland actively supports the integrated implementation of the global counter-terrorist strategy. Together with other states and in cooperation with the United Nations, in 2007 we launched the Process on global cooperation in the fight against terrorism. This process aims to streamline the coordination of national, regional and international efforts in the application of the four pillars of the strategy.
In 2009, Switzerland, together with the governments of Austria, Norway, and Turkey, and in close cooperation with the United Nations, organized the first International Meeting for National Counter-Terrorism Focal Points.
This event led to the idea of holding targeted meetings with a regional dimension. Since 2010, Switzerland, together with a group of other States, has supported a CTITF initiative on implementing the UN Strategy at the regional level. Regional conferences have taken place in Indonesia, Ethiopia, Namibia, and Bangladesh – with one more to come this July in Nigeria.
Terrorist networks throughout the world have a common denominator: the determination to cause spectacular destruction. Their political motivations differ and often depend on the regional context. They operate individually and strike locally. Regional cooperation is therefore essential if the fight against terrorism is to be effective. We need to find solutions that are adapted to each region in order to counter the recruitment of terrorists at the local level.
The objective of today's conference is to provide a platform for exchanges of counter-terrorism focal points and on how to coordinate measures at all levels.
Switzerland also appeals - and Geneva is one of the best places in which to this - for greater cooperation between the actors involved, NGOs, religious communities and the academic world. Cooperation of this kind can lead to truly integrated and coordinated action on all levels, including the local level.
The increasing number of kidnappings and subsequent demands for ransom by terrorist groups is a development that worries Switzerland. This system, which is a squalid reduction of human life to the level of a mere commodity, has become an essential source of finance for terrorism. Switzerland has stated clearly that it refuses to pay ransoms and urges all states to follow its example. We must not succumb to the logic of terrorists and we must not be caught in this infernal spiral. What we need to do is to improve international cooperation to prevent kidnappings. And when the kidnappings take place, we ensure better cooperation to save the hostages and to secure their release. This is why Switzerland strongly supported the efforts to adopt the Algiers Memorandum.
Prevention also has a crucial role to play. We have to increase the awareness of vulnerable groups that supporting terrorist kidnappings is harming their interests. Support for terrorist movements will not help them to improve their standard of living. This belief is a dangerous illusion.
Civil society can play a key role here. Activity by states to bring about good governance, stability and development are equally crucial. The examples of Somalia and of Sahel demonstrate a clear need for an integrated approach to this problem.
States can fight against terrorism, but terrorism cannot be defeated until societies have incorporated this dimension. Here again the importance of a holistic approach cannot be underestimated.
To be effective, a strategy needs to move from words to actions. Switzerland takes resolute action on the basis of its foreign policy strategy. I would now like to set out the five key areas of Switzerland’s counter-terrorism strategy.
1) We attach particular importance to governance. Effective international cooperation presupposes the existence of a solid multilateral architecture. Switzerland supports the work of the Task Force and promotes relations between the United Nations, the Global Forum against Terrorism and regional and sub-regional organisations.
2) We support reflections at the global level and the local level. Switzerland supports cooperation between international and regional organisations. In May we supported a conference on the use of special investigation techniques to combat terrorism jointly organised by the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the Arab League and the United Nations. In 2014, Switzerland will assume the chairmanship in office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We intend to organise an international conference on the anti-terrorist fight to explore possibilities of greater synergies between the OSCE, the United Nations and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum.
3) We are developing an approach based on the rule of law. The fight against terrorism should not suspend, but on the contrary should strengthen, the promotion of human rights and the primacy of law. This applies in particular to international humanitarian law, which was established here 150 years ago with the creation of the ICRC and one year later with the the first Geneva Convention. The fight against terrorism must go hand in hand with all the measures necessary to protect the life and the physical integrity of innocent persons. Attacks against terrorists must be targeted and must comply with international law, regardless of whether these attacks are carried out by human beings, drones or automatic machines.
Switzerland is a partner in a new initiative of the CTITF on the training and capacity building of law enforcement officials on human rights, the rule of law and the prevention of terrorism.
In October, in partnership with the United Nations here in Geneva, we will launch a new global initiative on effective counter-terrorism investigations and prosecutions while respecting human rights and the rule of law.
4) Switzerland combines soft and hard security. The first pillar of the global strategy aims to “eliminate poverty and promote sustained economic growth, sustainable development and prosperity for all.” This is what has prompted Switzerland, currently the 11th largest global donor, to considerably increase its budget for development and international cooperation in the coming years to achieve the target of 0.5% of gross national product in 2015. Last year the Swiss parliament voted in favour of a four-year credit of more than CHF 11 billion in order to achieve this goal. Moreover Switzerland actively supports the Millennium Development Goals and will remain committed to the programme of sustainable development after 2015.
Switzerland is also continuing its activity in the area of peace promotion. Its global strategy rightly points out that the failure to resolve conflicts is likely to fuel terrorism and that the “peaceful settlement of such conflicts contributes to the strengthening of the global fight against terrorism.”
5) Finally, Switzerland is making serious efforts to fight the financing of terrorism. It wishes to see a strong and irreproachable financial centre which takes active measures to prevent financing for terrorist or criminal purposes. We intend to establish regulations to achieve this goal, but without entering into the logic of a permanent suspicion vis-à-vis financial institutions or non-profit organisations. We support the projects of the Security Council to ensure that charitable organisations are not used to finance terrorism and to freeze the assets of terrorist organisations.
The international community has made huge progress in its efforts to fight terrorism in a coordinated manner and by adopting an integrated approach. This is most encouraging. We salute the activities of the Task Force, of its working groups, of its office and of the United Nations Centre for the fight against terrorism. We also welcome the measures taken by other member states.
However, a great deal still remains to be done. In his five-year action programme announced in January 2012, United Nations Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon reaffirms the importance of the coherent approach by the United Nations in the fight against terrorism, notably with regard to implementation at the national level.
We strongly support the proposal of the Secretary-General to create the position of a UN coordinator for the fight against terrorism. The creation of such an institution or another coordination mechanism which would accomplish the same goal would be in keeping with the spirit of the strategy and would promote integrated and coherent implementation.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen
Terrorists would win the day if they forced us to abandon our values. Our struggle begins here, with the fight for values.
Where terrorists divide, we must unite.
Where terrorists kill, allegedly in accordance with principles, we must stress the supreme value of human rights, the most important of which are the right to life and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Where terrorists break all the rules, we must apply the rule of law.
Where terrorists destroy, we must build.
Where terrorist disregard our individual liberties, we have to stand firm to protect them.
Where terrorists seek to corrupt young people, we must give young people prospects.
What better place in which to tackle this task than Geneva, a city of peace, a city of human rights, the cradle of humanitarian law, a central city for development cooperation, a city in which cooperation between States, between international organisations and representatives of society takes place each and every day.
I would like to thank all of you here today, some of whom have come from far afield. Your presence underlines the importance of this fight for life and for dignity. Your commitment is essential for our joint effort to be successful.
I strongly hope that this conference will enable us to move forward in the implementation of the United Nations Global Anti-terrorist Strategy and to do so in a coherent, integrated and resolute fashion.