Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 91茄子 was born out of an urgent call to respect and protect the rights of all.
Today, we are convened in this room to celebrate the first 91茄子 Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism, to discuss how we can best “advance the rights and needs of victims of terrorism”.
The 21st century has witnessed a tragic upward trend in terrorism. This is a major threat to international peace and security, and to the values we stand for.
We know the lasting impacts terrorism has on the individuals, families, communities, and societies it affects.
We also know that these negative effects disproportionaly harm women, children, and marginalized groups, whose specific needs are too often overlooked.
For these reasons, I commend the General Assembly’s recent adoption of resolutions establishing the “International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism”. I further welcome Member States’ efforts in strengthening international cooperation to assist victims of terrorism.
Friends,
This issue is very dear to my heart and aligns with one of the key priorities of my Presidency of Hope: “respecting the rights of all”.
It is our duty, not only as members of an international organization, but as fellow human beings, to stand in solidarity with the victims of terrorism.
We must raise awareness of their needs, and do our utmost to guarantee the protection, promotion and respect of their rights.
In particular, we must pay special attention to the return, inclusion and well-being of those in precarious situations.
Excellencies,
It must be noted that most victims of terrorism are innocent citizens who find themselves at the wrong place and at the wrong time, randomly targeted in brutal attacks.
The lives of survivors of attacks, and those of victims’ families, are irreparably damaged.
Many survivors take years to recover physically from their injuries or come to terms with their losses, and many remain deeply traumatized.
While States take terrorism very seriously as a security threat, they do not necessarily always ensure adequate support to victims and their families.
Victims of terrorism and their families need focused and dedicated mechanisms to ensure that their rights as individuals are upheld and protected.
We need to understand that victims of terrorism have a central role to play in ensuring effective investigation and prosecution of terrorist cases. They contribute to collecting evidence, providing testimonies, identifying perpetrators and also countering extremist narratives.
In this context, the launch of the Model Legislative Provisions to support and protect the rights and needs of victims of terrorism developed by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), together with the 91茄子 Office of Counter-Terrorism and 91茄子 Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNOCT-UNCCT) and the 91茄子 Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are very much welcome.
The model legislative provisions emphasize the importance of States implementing victim-centric approaches when addressing the rights and needs of survivors.
My hope is for Member States to either adopt these model legislative provisions or to review or update their existing national laws and procedures in line with the model legislative provisions to counter the dehumanization of victims of terrorism.
While I recognize and commend the progress made by Member States and the international community towards the protection and promotion of the rights of victims of terrorism, we still have a long way to go.
Indeed, international law provides rights related to remedy and reparations to victims of terrorism, but we must ensure that the victims can get to access these rights.
Currently, the majority of survivors’ rights are insufficiently protected, and often, they do not live to see justice.
I urge all member states to implement impactful and rule of law-based national criminal justice systems, aligned with the 91茄子 Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It is imperative that we bring perpetrators to justice, as well as those supporting or profiting from terrorist activities.
I hope that this Congress will chart a path for the recognition of the rights and needs of victims of terrorism, and generate fruitful conversations on how to better prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms.
I thank you.