The United Kingdom will work through this Council to combat terrorism in all its forms: UK statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by Chris Elmore MP, Minister for the Americas, Multilateral, and Human Rights, at the UN Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
Twenty-five years ago, nearly 3,000 people from over 90 countries were murdered in an appalling terrorist attack of September the 11th 2001.
Today, we stand with the people of the United States, and countries across the world, in remembering the victims, their families, and those who survived but have lived with the consequences.
But it has never been enough simply to remember what happened.
It has been our duty to do everything we can to stop it happening again.
And so today we also honour those around the world who have dedicated their lives to preventing and countering terrorism, including members of our armed forces, law enforcement, first responders, humanitarian workers, and United Nations peacekeepers.
The attacks of September the 11th were intended to divide us through fear.
Instead, they united the international community in a shared determination to confront such appalling acts of terrorism.
In the aftermath of the attacks, this Council acted with unity and resolve.
Resolution 1373 established obligations and institutions that remain central to our collective security.
Over the past twenty-five years, this Council has built a robust framework to prevent terrorist travel, suppress terrorist financing, and strengthen international cooperation.
Around the world, intelligence cooperation has deepened.
Terrorist financing has been constrained.
Border and aviation security has been transformed.
Terrorist organisations have been degraded.
And countless attacks have been prevented.
In the United Kingdom, our intelligence agencies and law enforcement partners have disrupted dozens of terrorist plots.
Through our Prevent programme, thousands of vulnerable people have been supported away from pathways towards terrorism and violent extremism.
Internationally, we continue to work with partners to strengthen security and resilience where terrorist groups seek to exploit instability.
In Iraq, the United Kingdom has trained more than 120,000 security personnel and provided over 670 million dollars in humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to communities affected by Da’esh.
In West Africa and the Sahel, terrorist groups continue to drive displacement, exacerbate humanitarian need, and undermine stability.
The UK is working with regional partners to provide targeted support on intelligence sharing, investigations, and counter-terrorism finance activity.
These achievements demonstrate a simple but important truth:
International cooperation works.
Yet, the threat continues to evolve.
Da’esh and Al-Qaida, and their affiliates continue to exploit conflict, instability, and weak governance.
They are adapting their methods and exploiting new technologies to spread propaganda, recruit, raise funds, and increase their operational reach.
We must continue to implement our existing obligations consistently, including those under Resolution 2462 on terrorist financing.
We must strengthen cooperation between governments, the United Nations, civil society, and the technology and financial sectors.
Artificial intelligence and other technologies present risks, but they can also help us detect terrorist content, identify financial networks, and protect vulnerable communities.
We must continue to make full use of the Security Council’s sanctions regimes to constrain terrorist travel, disrupt financing and deny terrorist groups the resources they need to operate.
Lastly, our response must be effective and principled.
Counter-terrorism measures must comply with international law, including international human rights law.
Measures that undermine rights or civic space can fuel the very grievances that terrorists seek to exploit.
President, the lessons of the past twenty-five years are clear.
Terrorism does not recognise borders, so our response must be collective.
It must combine effective security action with prevention, resilience, and respect for the rule of law.
The United Kingdom remains resolute in working through this Council, and with partners worldwide, to combat terrorism in all its forms.
That is how we honour the memory of all victims of terrorism, in every region of the world, and reaffirm our shared commitment to protect future generations from this threat.