Vietnam has called for stronger international cooperation against terrorist acts and violent extremism at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)’s ninth biennial review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy held at UN Headquarters in New York on July 2 (local time).
Minister Counsellor Nguyen Hai Luu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN. Photo: VNA
Speaking at the event, Minister Counsellor Nguyen Hai Luu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, acknowledged the efforts made by the UN and its member states in combating terrorism, while stressing that terrorism remains a serious threat to global peace, stability and development.
He expressed concern over the growing use of cyberspace, emerging technologies, and social, ethnic and religious issues by terrorist and extremist groups to spread radical ideologies, recruit members, organise networks and incite cross-border violence, posing increasing challenges to countries' counter-terrorism efforts.
Reaffirming Vietnam’s consistent position of condemning terrorism in all forms, manifestations and motivations, the Vietnamese diplomat called on UN member states to strengthen cooperation in investigating, prosecuting and bringing to trial individuals and organisations responsible for planning, carrying out or financing terrorist acts, including those linked to terrorist incidents in Vietnam in recent years.
On counter-terrorism measures, he underscored the need for a comprehensive approach that combines strengthened security and law enforcement with efforts to address the root causes of terrorism, including political, economic and social inequalities, protracted conflicts, discrimination and marginalisation.
Vietnam also highlighted the importance of international cooperation, information and experience sharing, technical assistance and capacity building, particularly for developing countries, while affirming that all counter-terrorism measures must comply with the UN Charter and international law and opposing the application of double standards in counter-terrorism efforts.
Earlier, at the fourth United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies, a representative of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security shared the country’s assessment of external terrorist threats to national security, including the risks posed by terrorists seeking to enter, hide in or transit through Vietnam; the misuse of cyberspace to disseminate extremist ideology, provide instructions on making weapons and explosives, and promote methods of attack; and attempts to exploit socio-economic, ethnic and religious issues to incite extremism, violence and terrorist activities.
On the sidelines of the conference, the Vietnamese delegation held discussions with several key partners and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) on initiatives to strengthen cooperation, share experience and enhance counter-terrorism capacity, particularly in responding to emerging threats.
Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006, the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy serves as the principal international framework for counter-terrorism cooperation. It is built on four pillars: addressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism; preventing and combating terrorism; building states’ capacity and strengthening the UN’s role; and ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law in counter-terrorism efforts./.