Statement by H.E. Neven Jurica, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations in the UN General Assembly on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Statement by
H.E. Neven Jurica
Permanent Representative of the Republic of
Croatia to the United Nations
General Assembly
Sixty-second session
Item 118:
The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
Mr. President,
I thank you for convening this plenary meting to examine the progress made since the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its Action Plan were adopted by the General Assembly two years ago.
I also express my appreciation to the facilitator, Ambassador Rosenthal, for leading the process of negotiation of the outcome of this meeting. We welcome the resolution as agreed upon by all delegations and believe it represents a solid basis for the future implementation of the Strategy.
My country has aligned itself with the statement delivered earlier today by the French Presidency of the EU, and fully supports the main messages contained therein. However, allow me to provide you with a brief account of Croatia's implementation of the Strategy at the national, regional and international level.
At the outset, I would like to reiterate the importance we attach to the Strategy as one of the major documents in global fight against terrorism. It is important that all countries and other relevant stakeholders stand in unity and show firm commitment to the full and integrated implementation of the Strategy, while taking account of the delicate balance of its four pillars.
Mr. President,
The Strategy describes broad and diverse measures under the first pillar. In this regard, Croatia is involved in a number of regional activities with the aim of preventing and suppressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. Croatia has been active in promoting intercultural and inter-religious dialogue in close cooperation with the UNESCO as well as other regional organizations. In particular, Croatia has contributed to intensifying regional dialogue in South Eastern Europe at the highest level, thus creating an atmosphere of good neighborly relations. Moreover, in May this year, Croatia became a member of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations.
Croatia is also active within the OSCE and the Council of Europe frameworks. Croatia hosted the 2nd OSCE Tolerance Implementation Meeting on Education to promote mutual respect and understanding and to teach about the Holocaust that took place in October 2006 in Dubrovnik. Croatia also participates in the ODIHR's hate crime training programme for law-enforcement officers. Croatia ratified several Council of Europe conventions on the prevention and financing of terrorism, as well as the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, concerning the criminalization of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems.
Mr. President,
Terrorism is a complex and serious threat to international peace and security, as it attempts to undermine the core values of the modern world. Terrorism poses a challenge to our security, to the basic principles of democratic societies and to the rights and freedoms of our citizens. Terrorist act are criminal in nature and cannot be justified under any circumstances. We highly appreciate all efforts in the global struggle against terrorism, and therefore under the second pillar of the Strategy, Croatia undertook a wide array of measures in order to prevent and combat terrorism, in particular by denying terrorists access to the means to carry out their attacks.
Croatia became a party to all 16 international legal counterterrorism instruments. In addition, a number of regional and bilateral agreements have been signed or ratified establishing cooperation between law-enforcement and intelligence agencies. Croatia has fully harmonized its legislation with the EU Council's Framework Decision on combating terrorism of June 2002.
Croatia has also intensified its cooperation with the Interpol and the European Union in the field of enhancing border security and control of lost and stolen travel documents. In June 2007, Croatia became the first Interpol member country to provide police units with direct secure access to Interpol's databases via mobile phones and laptops.
As a contribution to the NATO's Partnership Work Programme, and in close co-operation with the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, Croatia's National Protection and Rescue Directorate organized the Consequence Management Field Exercise - “IDASSA 2007”. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was also actively involved. One of three scenarios included a response to a terrorist threat using biological agents on board a passenger plane.
Croatia has incorporated international standards pertaining to the prevention, uncovering and punishing money laundering into the domestic legislation. Croatia will also continue to closely follow future deliberations in several organizations on a sensitive but challenging problem – the misuse of the Internet for terrorist communication and recruitment, and the spread of its ideology.
Mr. President,
Under the third pillar of the Strategy, Croatia supports the activities of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force responsible for ensuring a comprehensive and coordinated approach in implementing the Strategy, which have been comprehensively elaborated in a report by the Secretary-General. Croatia also welcomes the initiative for its further institutionalization.
The ever-evolving terrorist threat demands that governments achieve highest levels of efficiency, which is only possible through proper education and training. Croatian authorities have enjoyed constructive cooperation with the UNODC in Vienna and its Terrorism Prevention Branch, as well as with the OSCE, by actively participating in their various counterterrorism conferences, workshops and seminars. Similar events have also been organized on a national level for the purposes of educating law enforcement officials, state attorneys, judges and customs officers.
We further agree that capacity building is a core element of the global counter-terrorism effort. Therefore, we have to assist those countries which are committed to implement the Strategy and other counter-terrorism obligations but do not have the necessary resources.
As a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Croatia took over important responsibility of chairing the Counter-Terrorism Committee. In this respect, we have invested much effort, in close coordination with other members and with valuable assistance from CTED, to ensure more efficient and transparent work of the CTC, with enhanced focus on its role as a facilitator of technical assistance.
Regarding the fourth pillar, Croatia has ratified a large number of international treaties and set up the necessary domestic measures to ensure the full respect for human rights as well as a rule of law-based national criminal justice system. The protection of highest human rights standards stems from the Croatian Constitution, and any measures taken to combat terrorism fully comply with our obligations under international law.
Finally, Mr. President, I hope that today's meeting will show renewed commitment of all participants to the Strategy and thereby reiterate the consensus of the international community in fighting the scourge of terrorism, which has been rightly described in the report by the Secretary-General as a heinous tactic adopted by cowards and an attack against humankind.
I thank you for your attention.
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