Published 09:42 IST, September 26th 2019
UN Chief says unprecedented threat from terrorism will affect nations
UN chief said on Wednesday that there is an unprecedented threat from terrorism & intolerance which will affect every country, urging security measures.
Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, claimed that the world is facing "an unprecedented threat from intolerance, violent extremism and terrorism" that affects every country. The UN chief said on Wednesday that "the new frontier is cyber-terrorism the use of social media and the dark web to coordinate attacks, spread propaganda and recruit new followers," as reported by News Agency AP. He emphasised that responding to the terrorist threat "must complement security measures with prevention efforts that identify and address root causes, while always respecting human rights."
'Respecting Human Rights in Counter-Terrorism Operations'
The United States and its Western allies spoke along similar lines of the secretary-general, emphasising the vital point of respecting human rights in counter-terrorism operations. "Efforts to counter-terrorism that do not respect human rights ultimately breed resentment and violent extremism," US deputy ambassador Jonathan Cohen said. During the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donal Trump had bilateral talks about the impact of terror where the US President claimed that PM Modi 'will be able to take care of it'. In a press conference held by the Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, it was reported that, "Focus of discussion was on the impact of terrorism and it needs to be understood where the origin of terror is. Prime Minister made it clear that we are not shying away from talks with Pakistan but for that Pakistan must take concrete steps against terror and we don't see that happening."
Antonio Guterres Addressed UNGA Summit
UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres in his opening message at the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23 spoke about various issues surrounding climate change and called for people to provide solutions and taking accountability. He insisted that urgent actions had to be taken, as that is the right thing to do. "We have the imperative, undeniable irrefutable science. The best science according to the intergovernmental panel on climate change tells us that any temperature rise above 1.5 degrees will lead to major and irreversible damage to the eco-systems that support us," Guterres said claiming that we are losing the race against climate emergency which we are capable of winning.
Updated 11:32 IST, September 26th 2019