I want to thank, most sincerely, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques His Majesty, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for this generous donation of $100 million for the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre.

I had the honour of meeting His Majesty King Abdullah just last month in Jeddah and personally thanked him for his leadership on this and so many other issues.

The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre was envisioned by His Majesty King Abdullah in 2005 and launched in 2011 with an initial $10 million contribution by Saudi Arabia. The Centre is located within the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) in our Department of Political Affairs.

Guided by its Advisory Board, chaired by His Excellency Ambassador Abdallah Yahya A. Al-Mouallimi, the Centre has supported 31 counter-terrorism projects around the world covering all four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

The General Assembly has recognized this important work and encouraged Member States to provide more support.

The United States, the United Kingdom and Germany have responded to that call. I urge other Member States to follow the example of Saudi Arabia by investing in the Centre’s efforts.

I am confident that this timely contribution will make a real difference at national, regional and global levels.

The recent disturbing upsurge of terrorism in a number of countries and regions of the world, most dramatically demonstrated by the so-called “Islamic State” in Iraq, underscores the challenges before us.

I expect UNCCT, Counter Terrorism Centre, to play a significant role together with 34 entities of the CTITF to more effectively mobilize UN counter-terrorism efforts in the world.

Once again, my deepest thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a founding member of the United Nations, for its consistent support for the work of the Organization.

That sense of global solidarity was further reinforced by the Kingdom’s, and His Majesty’s, exceptionally generous support of $500 million for UN life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq.

Thank you for your compassion and leadership. I look forward to continuing our fruitful and constructive cooperation.