Combating terrorism

[All-English version; scroll down for bilingual, as delivered version]

In 1946, in the great burst of hope and activity that followed the creation of the United Nations, this Assembly reached its first resolution.

In part, the resolution called for the creation of a commission to eliminate atomic weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Your predecessors in this Assembly understood the fatal flaw behind the use of these weapons.

That the only inheritance for the victor would be a broken and barren world.

I am pleased to join you for the fourth International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

On this day, we remember and honour the individuals, families, communities and societies that have been traumatized by terrorist acts.

This year we focus on “connections” and their importance to victims – especially in the current pandemic environment.

Next month marks 20 years since terrorists attacked the Pentagon in Washington, crashed a plane in Pennsylvania and destroyed the World Trade Center towers here in New York.

I am pleased to welcome you to the Second High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States.

The fight against terrorism has seen important advances. Attacks have been thwarted across the world, and hundreds of terrorists have been brought to justice.

Yet the threat has persisted and diversified.

And the fight against terrorism has itself caused damage.

Al-Qaida and ISIL have continued to exploit social grievances and gender stereotypes to inspire lone actors and co-opt other groups.

Today, we commemorate the third International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. 
 
We stand in solidarity with the families who have lost loved ones, the wounded survivors, and those whose lives have been forever changed by acts of terrorism. 
 
We pay tribute to their courage, resilience and fortitude. 
 
And we commit to raising their voices and seeking truth and justice. 
 
We cannot undo the damage done, but we can defend their human rights and dignity. 
 

Welcome to this United Nations Counter-Terrorism week.  Today’s event kicks off a series of discussions over the coming days. 

It is a great pleasure to attend this high-level event that brings together the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the United Nations. I thank the Russian Chairmanship of the SCO for co-hosting this event.
 

It is such an honour to join all of you to mark the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom.

Kristallnacht was not just the night of broken glass; it was the night of broken lives, broken families, broken societies, broken dreams.

And, as we know, that dreadful night of state-orchestrated terror was followed by days, months and years of incalculable horror, so tragically and movingly displayed here.

I am grateful for the opportunity to address the Council on cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in countering terrorist threats.
 

I am pleased to welcome you to the second International Day of Remembrance of -- and Tribute to -- the Victims of Terrorism.
 
The threat of terrorism and violent extremism is among our most complex challenges.
 
In recent months, we have witnessed horrific attacks in Kabul and Cairo, Nigeria and Burkina Faso and other locations around the Lake Chad Basin and around the world.
 
Many innocent lives have been tragically cut short.
 

Your Excellency, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
I thank the Government of Kenya for helping the United Nations organize this landmark conference.
 
To begin, I would like to honour the tens of thousands of African victims of terrorism and to express solidarity with African countries that have suffered terrorist attacks that shock with their barbarity and disregard for human life.
 
Kenya itself has endured numerous terrorist attacks.