REMARKS
OF H.E. MR. NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS
UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS SIDE EVENT
PROMOTING AND BUILDING TRUST: THE NEXUS FOR PREVENTING AND COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND REHABILITATION OF EXTREMISTS
UNITAR
22 SEPTEMBER 2015
NEW YORK, CONFERENCE ROOM 9
Ms. Yvonne Lodico, Head of UNITAR,
Dr. Gregory Sterling, Dean of Yale University,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this side event on “Promoting and Building Trust: The Nexus for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Rehabilitation of Extremists”, organized under the leadership of Ms. Yvonne Lodico, Head of the New York UNITAR’s Office, and Dr. Gregory Sterling, Dean of Yale University.
Allow me to note that the themes selected for this event are at the core of the international agenda, as the UN Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon is gathering this month experts from academia, civil society, and governments to address the growing challenges tied to violent extremism.
I hope the insights flourishing from this session will contribute to the design and implementation of the future UN Action Plan linked to this agenda.
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research is our organization’s chief entity focusing its efforts and resources on capacity development and research activities worldwide. UNITAR’s mission to empower individuals, regardless of subjective characteristics such as gender, religious or cultural affiliations, highly contributes to the international community’s fight against contemporary challenges. The most pressing challenges include the necessity to build trust among people; to prevent and counter violent extremism in all its forms; and consequently find the most appropriate solutions to rehabilitate the victims of extremists networks.
The victims of extremist groups are of course the countless targets of the attacks, but also the extremist actors who carry them. Numerous reports and conferences developed by UN agencies, including the UNAOC, highlight the political and socio-economic reasons lying behind radicalization and violent extremism.
One of the topics of today’s discussion is “promoting and building trust.”
We, at the Alliance of Civilizations, are celebrating the tenth anniversary of our founding this year, which was launched in 2005 as an initiative of the UN Secretary-General to address the root causes of violence, hatred and distrust. The impact of the UNAOC in promoting trust and dialogue has been reaffirmed last June, when the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus, the resolution “United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.” The resolution demonstrates the importance that Member States attach to the role of the Alliance and the need of the international community to collaborate on collective efforts toward understanding and respect for religions and cultures.
The overall mission to build trust; prevent and counter violent extremism and rehabilitate extremists will have to take local, national and regional needs into consideration, while incorporating the existing work of the actors on the ground, including young leaders and civil society.
Being the training arm of the United Nations system, I highly trust in UNITAR’s contribution in addressing these challenges. Few weeks ago, Ms. Lodico and myself had the opportunity to meet and discuss possible fields for cooperation. Allow me to reiterate that the UNAOC stands ready to work with you in turning the global agreements on intercultural and interreligious dialogue into action.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Seventy years ago, the United Nations was founded with the confidence that unity and trust would allow the world community tackle the challenges of armed-conflicts, intolerance and disrespect for religious and cultural diversity. The UN Charter, signed by 50 countries at the time, reinforced the notions of trust and collaboration with the very well-known locution: We the Peoples.
Seventy years later, the 193 United Nations Member States have all ratified the comprehensive resolutions established in the fields of socio-economic; democratic; humanitarian and political affairs.
However, seventy years later we are still facing the very same challenges, per se inequalities, polarization, distrust and hatred.
The answer to these challenges has been the same since 1945. It lies in the essence of the international humanistic contract of the UN Charter, driven by Trust, Dialogue and Collaboration.
I do think it is possible to reinforce trust and collaboration through intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Our activities at the Alliance have confirmed that building trust through dialogue reinforces peace and security. The men and women participating in its process are motivated to discuss, develop and maintain a shared motivation.
Our shared motivations today are:
(FIRST) To secure peaceful and inclusive societies accordingly with the sustainable development goal 16;
(SECOND) To tackle all forms of extremism; and
(THIRD) To provide the adequate structures for the men and women who fall victims of narrow ideologies.
The Mission of the Alliance is similar to sustainable development goal 16. As High Representative for the UNAOC, I have seen the benefits of engaging in project activities that promote peace and security through intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Dialogue allows building trust and is a crucial instrument in preventing and resolving conflicts. Through dialogue we can diffuse existing tensions and therefore keep conflicts from escalating to unmanageable situations.
When it comes to preventing and countering violent extremism, I am optimistic. I have been working with the United Nations for almost three decades. When I look at the successes we have been able to secure as a community to prevent and counter this scourge, I have faith in our ability to continue our successful efforts. I have in mind the recent resolutions of the UN Security Council 2170 and 2178 calling for stronger international efforts to address the challenge of “foreign terrorist fighters,” as well as, the UNAOC’s Thematic Debate last April, in collaboration with the Office of UN General Assembly and the Office of the Secretary-General, on “Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation: Fostering Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Violent Extremism.”
The necessary instruments to prevent and counter violent extremism are already in place. We simply need to continue dialogue and collaboration at all levels, from top governmental representatives, to local actors, who have first-hand experience of the drivers of violent extremism.
At last, we, at the UNAOC, aim at providing the necessary structures to prevent young men and women fall victims of narrow ideologies. As many of you know, extremist organizations use falsified religious information to rally associates and to justify their heinous actions.
The UNAOC’s impact is designed to tackle their falsifications both immediately and on a long-term basis. Our activities aim at building trust between communities and individuals, based on the true humanistic values of all religions and philosophies. I see the fruits of our efforts during the implementation of our programs such as the Summer School, which brings together youth from diverse national, religious and cultural backgrounds. During their first day with us, participants are complete strangers. They often ignore existing similarities between themselves or their religions and cultures. The day they leave, a solid tie has been created through this shared experience.
That is the reason why, I believe the fundamental objective of all religions is to unite rather than divide; to instill in each man and woman the values of tolerance, respect and inclusiveness. These are the values to be taught when rehabilitating extremist actors. By disengaging their mind from an erroneous and violent perspective, we can help them rehabilitate and take part in the promises the future holds for each one of us.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The objectives of building trust, preventing all forms of violence and rehabilitating those who have suffered violence as actors or victims, have been at the center of the United Nations’ Agenda since its inception seventy years ago. These objectives continue to be essential to achieve today. At the UNAOC, we recognize that instilling the values of trust and inclusion is one of the most sustainable investment we can make as a society. We also engage and seek to empower religious leaders, academia, the media and other civil society groups to promote the broad interests of all individuals, regardless of their religious or cultural denomination.
We are facing one of the most opportune times to act towards our shared objectives with the 2030 Development Agenda.
We are here to contribute to this agenda with the best tools we have.
We are here to make sure that the voice of moderation and inclusion are the ones prevailing in creating the future we want through trust and understanding.
Thank you.