The Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, Ambassador Cesare Maria Ragaglini, delivered a statement to the special meeting of the Security Council’s Counterterrorism Committee (CTC), on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1373 on counter-terrorism, by which the Committee was created.

Resolution 1373 was adopted under Chapter Seven of the Charter in response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. It imposes on each Member State the obligation to cooperate, adopt, and implement specific legal and operative measures in its domestic legislation. It also assigns to the CTC the task of monitoring States’ implementation of the measures and promoting technical assistance actions targeted at strengthening the national counterterrorism capacity.

In his statement Ambassador Ragaglini underlined that the fight against international terrorism requires a global approach, including diplomatic initiatives, law enforcement, judicial action, as well as cultural and soft power approaches, without compromising respect for rule of law and human rights. National security borders no longer coincide with geographic frontiers, he added. They are often located on different continents. This is why support for capacity building, stability, and the governance of the more critical geographic areas should be at the top of the Committee’s agenda.
Italy, Ambassador Ragaglini emphasized, has centered its international action on theses goals, adopting a series of programs in rule of law, institution building, and the training of judges and lawyers, which has made it one of the leading Countries in the field, in places such as Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and West Africa. In these areas Italy has identified connections between terrorism and transnational organized crime. The ambassador also expressed the hope that the CTC can play a more active role in fighting these highly-destabilizing relations. Italy supports the new multilateral institutions in the field of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, such as the Global Counter-terrorism Forum, and invites the CTC to continue its action to develop alliances and networks, as well as to promote and coordinate dedicated structures with the United Nations system.