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Security Council Open Debate on Threats against International Peace and Security: Terrorism and Cross-border Crime
Intervention by H.E. Mr Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg:
"Mr President,
I would like to thank your country, Chad, for having organised this open debate on a crucial subject during its Presidency of the Security Council: the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime, two mutually reinforcing scourges, in particular in Africa and in the Middle East. The fight against these scourges is at the core of resolution 2195 (2014) that we just adopted unanimously at the initiative of Chad, and which Luxembourg has co-sponsored. I thank you, Minister and dear colleague, for having invited me to participate in this debate. Finally, I thank the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, and the Permanent Observer of the African Union, Ambassador Tété Antonio, for their briefings.
I subscribe to the statement to be delivered by the European Union.
Mr President,
We are witnessing a profound evolution of the terrorist threat. The fact that terrorist groups are seeking to control entire swaths of territory bears testimony to this evolution. This was the case in Northern Mali, with groups like Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. It is still the case in parts of Somalia, with Al-Shabab. It is certainly the case in Iraq and Syria with Daesh. In all of these cases, there are strong links between these terrorist groups and elements of organised crime, be it in terms of financing, equipment or use of illicit trafficking networks, in particular in natural resources, be they minerals, charcoal or oil.
We should be highly preoccupied by the fact that transnational organised crime increases the strategic space in which terrorists can operate. Criminals and terrorists may have different motives, but they have much in common in their methods and modus operandi. Criminals and terrorists thrive wherever the State is weak or absent, which is the case in numerous border areas, for instance in the Sahel region. Criminals and terrorists benefit from instability and conflict. They benefit from war economy and have a particular interest in prolonging conflicts. Criminals and terrorists seek to destabilise established State authorities, at both the central and decentralised levels, not only through violence, but also through the corruption of State institutions, in particular security institutions and the judiciary. At the operational level, on the ground, both criminals and terrorists more and more often directly target Security Council-mandated missions, which are not always equipped to counter this threat.
In certain regions, terrorism has been able to grow stronger by forging alliances with criminal networks which thrive thanks to the revenue generated by trafficking in persons, arms, drugs and natural resources. This transnational threat requires a coordinated response at the international, regional and national levels, better cooperation and increased assistance to the countries confronted to this dual threat.
Luxembourg is committed to this fight. We are notably contributing to capacity building in Africa for combating terrorist financing. We have, for example, given support to training delivered by Senegal's National Financial Intelligence Unit. In May 2014, we have financed a workshop on the freezing of terrorist assets in Tunis, organised by the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate and the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force.
The report which the Secretary-General will submit within the next six months will allow us to better identify the measures necessary to reduce the profits that terrorism gains from organised crime. However, I believe it is already evident that we must aim to strengthen policing and border control institutions, as well as judicial structures. The Peacebuilding Commission can play an important role in this regard, by accompanying fragile post-conflict states, by mobilising the support of the international community to reinforce the capacities of these states and by encouraging the regional approaches and inter-state cooperation.
Mr President,
Luxembourg is particularly concerned by the disproportional impact of organised crime and terrorist activities on children. Given their vulnerability, children are an easy target for recruitment, as was mentioned by Jeffrey Feltman. For this reason, children associated with extremist groups should be treated first and foremost as victims. Measures taken in the context of counterterrorism must be in conformity with international human rights and child protection standards, in particular in the framework of the juvenile justice system. The prolonged detention of children for their association, whether real or presumed, with extremist groups exposes children to degrading and inhumane treatments. We must all fight together against this nefarious tendency.
Mr President,
Dear colleagues,
On 15 January 2013, in my very first statement to the Security Council as a non-permanent Member, I already addressed the imperative to combat terrorism. Back then, the open debate was held under Pakistan's Presidency of the Security Council. I would like to avail myself of this occasion to present my condolences to the government and people of Pakistan and to add my voice to those who have condemned in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist act committed by the Taliban against a school in Peshawar on 16 December 2014, causing more than 140 civilian casualties, including 132 children. Today, as our mandate in the Security Council draws to a close, it is with a certain emotion that I reiterate Luxembourg's commitment to fight against the scourge of terrorism.
We have thus come full circle, as it were. Over the course of the last two years, we have committed ourselves to the maintenance of international peace and security. We conclude our mandate in the hope that we have been able to contribute ever so slightly to the realisation of this noble objective.
You can rest assured that Luxembourg shall remain committed and shall spare no effort to contribute to the promotion of security, development and human rights – the three indispensable ingredients to ensuring a better future for us all.
Thank you."