Statement by H.E. Mr. Kazuo Kodama
Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
At the Briefings by the Chairs of the Subsidiary Bodies of the Security Council
14 November 2012
Mr. President,
At the outset, I would like to express my appreciation to the Chairs of the Council’s three counter-terrorism-related committees for their respective briefings.
More than 10 years have passed since 9/11 and international fights against terrorism by the United Nations have yielded remarkable results. However we cannot say that the threat of terrorism has disappeared, so we still expect active and constructive discussions in the three committees and in the Security Council continuously.
Japan welcomes the third review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy this June. The General Assembly resolution reaffirmed the importance of implementing the strategy and strengthening regional cooperation as well as collaboration among relevant entities inside and outside of the United Nations. In this regard, I believe that we, the international community, must continue to address terrorism as an issue.
Mr. President,
I believe we can make efforts to counter terrorism in various ways and in various situations. Each state has its own counter-terrorism measures available to take action, such as enhancing the ability to cope with terrorism and holding discussions with neighboring countries. In this regard, Japan has been conducting bilateral and multilateral dialogues and consultations, including with China and the Republic of Korea, with the US and Australia, and with ASEAN, and also making efforts in regional forums, such as ASEAN Regional Forum and APEC. These efforts have brought much progress in advancing the capacity for counter-terrorism in states including Japan.
I believe that, in addition to the aforementioned, we should also put an emphasis on addressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. In this regard, Japan has, since 2006, supported the Mindanao Peace Process, and this October the Framework Agreement was signed between the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Japan has also been providing assistance totaling around 4.1 billion US dollars to Afghanistan in order to establish its self-reliance and eliminate conditions that allow the spread of terrorism again. In addition, Japan hosted the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan in July, where the international community pledged to provide more than 16 billion US dollars through 2015 and Afghanistan committed itself to achieving more efficiency and transparency in its governance, thereby not making Afghanistan a hotbed for terrorism again.
Mr. President,
In order to gain broader support from the international community towards United Nations counter-terrorism measures, it is necessary to ensure legitimacy and credibility of these measures.
In this regard, especially in the 1267/1989 Committee, I believe that its sanction list must be updated at all times to reflect the current status of individuals and entities listed and each state must cooperate in order for the monitoring team of the committee to act effectively. Japan also highly values the activities of the ombudsperson, maintaining and enhancing the legitimacy and credibility of the sanction regime. We will continue to cooperate actively with all activities built towards improving the legitimacy and credibility of the sanction regime.
Mr. President,
In regards to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Japan understands the necessity of establishing this post to ensure consistency and integrity in the field of counter-terrorism at the United Nations. However we believe that this post must not end up being created imprudently. From the aspect of pursuing the effectiveness of counter-terrorism, Japan insists that the establishment of this position must avoid duplication and be considered in a manner to produce real effectiveness and efficiency.
Mr. President,
Japan weighs heavily the activities of the three committees and believes it is essential for the activities to be conducted in close collaboration with the relevant regional and international organizations and initiatives. Especially with regards to the 1540 Committee, Japan has been committed to the G8 Global Partnership and the Proliferation Security Initiative. We believe it is essential to consider and implement activities against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in accordance with regional needs and characteristics, from the view of more contribution by developing states to close their capacity gaps.
We strongly hope the activity of the expert group of the 1540 Committee moves into high gear. As outreach activities of the group and the committee itself are important, it is necessary for the committee to make considerable achievements if the importance of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the recent challenges identified are to be conveyed to member states. To this end, thrice so far Japan has hosted a series of seminars here in New York on sanctions, nonproliferation and disarmament. We are planning the fourth one in the near future, in order to support the activities of the 1540 Committee.
Mr. President,
We expect that the three committees will continue to fulfill their roles working in close coordination with each other. The government of Japan will continue to take all possible measures to cooperate positively in the efforts of the three committees.
I thank you. |
