UN chief calls on global community to keep up momentum in fight against terrorism

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on the international community to keep up the momentum in the fight against terrorism. "We need to keep up the momentum in the fight against terrorism. This includes continuing to invest in national, regional and global counter-terrorism capabilities, especially for countries most in need of assistance," the UN chief said at the opening of the Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week United Nations, which will be held from July 6 to 10 and convened under the overarching theme of "Strategic and Practical Challenges of Countering Terrorism in a Global Pandemic Environment."

"We need to closely monitor evolving terrorist threats and evolving trends and be innovative in our responses. That means ensuring we have the right technology, tools and concepts to stay ahead of terrorists," said the secretary-general.

Guterres noted that counter-terrorism responses must always be "gender sensitive" - recognizing the violent misogyny at the heart of so many groups - and protect and promote human rights.

"Counter-terrorism laws and security measures cannot be an excuse to shrink civic space, curtail freedom of association and deny other fundamental rights. Full compliance with international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law is essential. The fight against terrorism must uphold these values or without which we will never succeed," he added.

The UN chief called on the global community to "tackle the spread of terrorist narratives through pandemic-sensitive, holistic approaches."

"Psycho-social, economic and political stresses associated with COVID-19 have risen dramatically. Terrorists must not be allowed to exploit those fissures and fragilities," Guterres noted.

The UN chief said that the COVID-19 pandemic "has also highlighted vulnerabilities to new and emerging forms of terrorism, such as misuse of digital technology, cyberattacks and bioterrorism."

"Like the virus, terrorism does not respect national borders. It affects all nations and can only be defeated collectively," said the UN chief.