Statement by Dr. Dipu Moni, MP, Hon ble Foreign Minister, Government of the People s Republic of Bangldesh, at the Opening Session of the International Counter-Terrorism Focal Points Conference on Addressing Conditions Conducive to Spread of Terrorism and Promoting Regional Cooperation, Geneva, 13 June 2013. Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished audience, At the outset, I wish to thank our hosts for inviting me to this Conference. I thank CTITF for their judicious decision to have a focused discussion on Pillar 1 of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. I recall the Regional Workshop that we hosted in Dhaka last year which also made a strong case for enhancing regional cooperation to address the underlying causes that are conducive to the spread of extremism and terrorism. As a prelude to these discussions, I would like to reaffirm that no motivation whatsoever can justify resorting to the diabolical acts of terrorism. Those who choose to pursue that devious path do not have faith in their own agenda and actually serve to delegitimize their cause in a misguided manner. We would, however, underline that any unqualified or indiscriminate response to counter-terrorism would continue to be self-defeating, and would conflate the root causes of terrorism with certain ulterior motives or agenda that would not find resonance with most people around the world. This actually underscores the need for evolving the global counter-terrorism agenda through continued dialogue, and, hence, the importance of the UN to act as the sole legitimate, multilateral body capable of coordinating global action against terrorism. 1
Mr. Chairman, The key drivers of terrorist threats in the South Asian context can be broadly framed into three categories: firstly, nationalism when it takes an aggressive form; secondly, religious extremism; and, thirdly, ethnicity-based separatism. In view of our shared history and traditions in South Asia, it is rather easy for any of these motivations to find a receptive audience among certain segments of our populations across national borders. The adherents of the different known terrorist or extremist groups in the region tend to come from different socio-economic backgrounds, depending on the tactics used by the masterminds and the appeal of their message. It would perhaps be an over-simplification to identify terrorist threats in the region by any single denomination. It is often seen that different terrorist outfits with widely disparate objectives tend to form operational networks among themselves, mostly as a survival tactic. These are often nurtured through external linkages in the form of terrorist financing and involvement with transnational crimes like counterfeit currency or drug trafficking. The weaker links within the criminal justice systems also often limit the States capacity for effective legal enforcement on the one hand, and to uphold human rights and the rule of law on the other. The alleged involvement of certain non-profit organizations in terrorist financing further complicates the scenario. The new and emerging threats from the use of the cyber-space and social media to propagate extremist ideologies also call for enhanced regulatory capacity to beat the perpetrators in their own games. An overriding area of concern that was highlighted during the regional workshop in Dhaka was the structural and systemic constraints faced by 2
most States in effectively dealing with the multi-dimensional challenges of terrorism and its many drivers, enablers and multipliers. It was felt that strategic cooperation with the UN and other international partners could be instrumental in addressing the prevalent capacity deficits, including in the areas of legislation and institutional set-up. The Global Terrorism Index Report 2012, developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace in the US, makes it apparent how vulnerable South Asia remains to existing and emerging terrorist threats. There also looms the possibility of certain unanticipated developments in the region following the changed security dispensation in Afghanistan in the post-2014 environment. On the other front, there is a growing concern over the continued disenfranchisement of the Rohingya Muslim minorities in Myanmar that may lead to an increasing number amongst them to be radicalized and recruited by terrorist networks operating in the region. The growing trend of conflict- and climate induced displacements within and across borders could also potentially aggravate terrorist threats in the region. Against this backdrop, the fact that Bangladesh remains in a relatively better position in the Global Counter-Terrorism Index, compared to some of our other South Asian neighbours, leaves us no room for comfort or complacency. Our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has waged an uncompromising battle to root out the evils of communalism, extremism and terrorism from within our society. In order to forcefully convey her message that, under our Government s watch, Bangladesh would not be allowed to be used as a sanctuary for any form of terrorist acts, we had to take some bold, strategic and decisive actions that were backed by a strong political commitment, an overwhelming popular mandate and whole-of-government approach. The recently published US State Department s 2012 Country Report on Terrorism has also particularly highlighted and appreciated 3
Bangladesh s counter-terrorism efforts in line with the four pillars of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Our multi-pronged initiatives at countering extremism and radicalization have been recognized as an international good practice that I wish to further elaborate on during my address in the afternoon session. Just two days earlier, our Parliament passed a number of amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009 to further clarify certain procedural provisions of the law, broaden the scope of the extra-territoriality clause and stipulate penal provisions for the violation of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. We remain convinced that all these efforts, within our resource and capacity constraints, were an investment well worth making - not only for enhancing our national security, but also for its share of contribution in the achievements we have made in the last four and a half years in our battle against poverty. In a similar vein, the regional cooperation dynamics in South Asia, as embodied in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), had been propelled by an economic cooperation agenda centering on poverty alleviation. Even in its early days, however, SAARC realized that in order to promote economic integration in the region, it had to take coordinated action to defeat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. In that respect, the SAARC Regional Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism, adopted in 1987, could be considered ahead of its time. The scope of the Convention was further broadened in 2002 through an Additional Protocol to combat terrorist financing pursuant to the UN Security Council Resolution 1373. With a view to implementing the Convention, a SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) was set up in Colombo, Sri Lanka to mainly work as an early warning system. 4
Despite these initiatives, it must be admitted that the counter-terrorism agenda under SAARC has not yet lived up to its true potentials, mainly for the same reasons why regional integration has not yet gained its desired traction in South Asia. This also precludes the possibility of pursuing real-time, tangible cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism, particularly in case of information and intelligence sharing. In a parallel development, there has been some concrete progress in the counter-terrorism agenda under the aegis of the Bay of Bengal Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The adoption of the BIMSTEC Agreement on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Trans-national Organised Crimes and Illicit Drug Trafficking, in 2009 has been a significant development. Mr. Chairman, In view of the foregoing regional situation analysis that I tried to present here, I would like to conclude by making five specific recommendations to further advance the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, particularly in the South Asian context: First, as suggested at the Regional Workshop in Dhaka, we would urge CTITF to explore the possibility of developing a regional mapping of possible terrorist threats in the South Asian region in consultation with the States concerned. We would suggest that some credible research organizations dealing with strategic security issues based in the region be involved in this exercise to enhance the accountability of its outcome; Second, we would suggest that the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED) continues to remain engaged with the SAARC Secretariat towards undertaking some preparatory work for developing a regional action plan or strategy in line with the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. In this context, a useful starting point could 5
be to conduct a review of the counter-terrorism legislations in the South Asian countries. The objective of this study should be to identify the areas of potential synergy, and not to make a critique of the perceived gaps in the existing laws. Third, the CTITF could help develop a voluntary Code of Conduct for civil society engagement in counter-terrorism efforts that could help guard against possible abuse of NGOs/ NPOs for terrorist financing and could foster greater GO-NGO cooperation; Fourth, CTITF could develop a repository of good practices from around the world concerning effective measures to counter extremism and radicalization, with particular focus on education and cultural orientation strategies, as well as public awareness building and community mobilization efforts; and, Lastly, the human rights dimension should be better integrated in the counter-terrorism discourse with the dual objective of reversing the dehumanization of the victims of terrorism and ensuring that the legal regimes to combat terrorism uphold the fundamental rights of both the victims and perpetrators. As we look at it, human rights protection need not be perceived as an obstacle to effective counter-terrorism efforts but can rather be framed as an essential element of any sustainable counterterrorism strategy. Mr. Chairman, We believe that due to its holistic and universal nature, the Global Counter Terrorism Strategy can serve as a mooring point for situating the different regional and national counter-terrorism strategies around its four pillars. It is only logical that every region or State would approach this process guided by its own strategic security concerns and priorities. We firmly believe that the ongoing momentum of work 6
within the South Asian context would also reach its logical conclusion when the time is right. I thank you. 7
The nationality-driven agenda can stem from a sense of political discrimination or economic exploitation, but can then take a wayward turn towards terrorism in the hands of either the extreme right or the radical left. The extremist agenda, fuelled mainly by certain vested quarters with professed religious persuations, tend to thrive on fomenting communal tension and widening artificial fault-lines among the different communities living side by side in the region for ages. The ethno-nationalist agenda mostly flourishes in the space left open due to the lack of effective communication and confidence among the major players in the mainstream democratic sphere. 8