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Mr President
New Zealand is unequivocal in our condemnation of terrorism in all forms. We are determined in our efforts to prevent and combat terrorism, including through our strong support for the United Nations Global Strategy on Counter-Terrorism. We were particularly pleased that the Strategy received unanimous support when it was agreed two years ago.
There is much commonality between the principles espoused under the four pillars of the Strategy and those that guide New Zealand’s approach.
Domestically, we are determined to take all necessary measures to prevent and combat terrorism to ensure that our country not be either a target or a source for terrorist activity. We continue to improve our legislative, policy and operational capabilities. We amended our Terrorism Suppression Act last year to improve our compliance with the evolving international counter-terrorism framework.
Internationally, New Zealand is actively assisting partner countries to develop their counter-terrorism capabilities.
In our immediate region New Zealand has helped build capacity in Pacific Island Countries to meet the requirements of the international counter-terrorism agenda and thereby ensure the region is not seen as a vulnerable link that international terrorists could exploit. We convene and chair the annual Working Group on Counter-Terrorism involving officials from the sixteen member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum. We are encouraged by the progress made in improving legislation, policy and operational capability in the Pacific, and we welcome the support of UN counter-terrorism bodies in helping to achieve this.
In Southeast Asia, the threat of terrorist attacks persists despite the progress made by law enforcement authorities in degrading the capabilities of major regional terrorist groups, in particular Jemaah Islamiya. New Zealand continues to support a number of counter-terrorism capacity building initiatives in the region both bilaterally with key partners and regionally. We have worked with all three regional counter-terrorism training centres, and we welcomed the opportunity to sponsor a recent region wide workshop for ASEAN countries on implementation of the ASEAN Counter-Terrorism Convention.
Mr President,
Recognising that the threat of international terrorism requires a comprehensive, multi-layered and long-term response, New Zealand has increasingly pursued initiatives in our region aimed at addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.
We believe the UN-led Alliance of Civilisations has real potential to improve relations and understanding between societies and cultures. Last year, New Zealand hosted an Asia-Pacific Regional Symposium to discuss how our region might take forward the Alliance’s practical recommendations in the areas of youth, education, media and migration. We have embarked on a series of significant and long-term projects in the region with governments, education institutions, and civil society - in particular in the areas of media and education. This year, New Zealand produced a National Plan of Action which we have found a very useful undertaking and would encourage other supporters of the Alliance to consider developing Plans to guide their own activities.
New Zealand is also promoting interfaith dialogue in our region through co-sponsorship of the Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue, by supporting developing country attendance at regional meetings, and by hosting the third Dialogue in New Zealand in 2007. By managing the increasing diversity in our societies better, we put ourselves in a much stronger position to counter negative stereotyping and radicalisation which can lead to violent extremism. The Dialogue, which groups fifteen countries from Southeast Asia and the Pacific, has succeeded in facilitating greater mutual understanding and respect amongst faith leaders throughout the region, as well as amongst faith leaders from individual countries.
Further afield, New Zealand is making a significant contribution to stabilisation and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), including leading a Provincial Reconstruction Team and providing training for the Afghan National Army and Police. New Zealand supports the ISAF’s comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which advocates a balance between security, governance and development interventions. We continue to support Operation Enduring Freedom through the deployment of our naval vessels to the Maritime Interdiction Operation in the Persian Gulf region.
Mr President,
Terrorism is a global phenomenon and as such requires a coordinated global response. The UN, through the work of the General Assembly, the Security Council, its Committees, and other bodies is best placed to coordinate this response. New Zealand has supported this work through contributions to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for counter terrorism legislative assistance and criminal justice training in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. We welcome the efforts of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force to achieve greater coordination across the UN system and to promote best practice counter-terrorism approaches to Member States.
New Zealand remains steadfast in its commitment to all measures to combat and prevent terrorism and to ensure such measures are consistent with human rights and the rule of law. We look forward to working closely with partners in our region, and beyond, to implement further the Global Strategy, thereby helping to ensure all our citizens are free from the threat of violent extremism.
Thank you.
