Statement by H.E. Mr. Kazuyoshi Umemoto
Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
At the Briefings by the Chairs of the Subsidiary Bodies
Of the Security Council
27 November 2013
Mr. President,
At the outset, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Chairs of the Council’s three counter-terrorism-related committees for their respective briefings.
Mr. President,
The committees were established nearly a decade ago in response to the serious terrorism conditions at that time, and have conducted dedicated efforts for fight against terrorism. We believe that many kinds of practical measures taken by the international community in this regard have made substantial achievements.
At the same time, we have to admit that we are still living in a reality with threat of terrorism. The tragedy in Kenya and the terrorist attack in In Amenas, Algeria, in which 40 citizens were killed, including 10 Japanese nationals, are still vivid in our memory. It is obvious that many challenges still remain and that the international community must reinforce its efforts with a particular focus on the threats on the African continent.
Based on such recognition, Japan recently announced a pledge of 16 million dollars to support capacity building in states in North Africa and the Sahel. At the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) in June, Japan also committed to providing one billion dollars of humanitarian and development assistance over the next five years and extending assistance for the fostering of human resources in the field of counter-terrorism in the region.
Mr. President,
In spite of our collective efforts for international cooperation, it is undeniable that resources available for the fight against terrorism are not limitless. We believe that it is crucial for all relevant entities in the U.N. to take measures effectively and efficiently. At the same time, it is also necessary for us to promote more positive activities on counter-terrorism within and without the U.N. in order to maximize the effect of measures taken by the international community as a whole. In this context, Japan would like to welcome the recent initiative by the Chairs of the Committees to invite the President of FATF to the U.N.
From this point of view, there could be some room for improvement in order to avoid duplication regarding counter-terrorism measures taken by the U.N. We are witnessing several entities in the U.N. conducting many kinds of programs, sometimes alone, or sometimes in cooperation with each other. We would like to stress the importance of avoiding any unnecessary duplications and expect efforts by these entities for that purpose.
We believe that the role of each main counter-terrorism-related entity, namely CTED, CTITF, and UNODC, must be clear. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the mechanism for ensuring the overall coordination and the coherence of the programs conducted by these entities and by Member States. As the next Security Council resolution for expanding the mandate of CTED will be adopted soon, we expect a practical and fruitful discussion in this regard.
In addition, on the issue of creating the post of U.N. Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, we understand its necessity on the understanding that it would be established in order to enhance coordination of all the efforts in the field of counter-terrorism at the U.N. We believe that we need to clarify the actual role of the post, in order not to just end up in increasing the number of relevant posts with little substantive added value.
Japan, for its part, has made efforts for the sake of effectiveness and efficiency in the fight against terrorism. In May, Japan received a focused visit by CTED, conducted on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Committee. During its visit, we widely shared our best-practices and latest measures in such fields as financing of terrorism, law enforcement mechanisms, and border-control. We believe that Japan’s cooperation with CTED during its visit contributed to making the future activities of CTED more effective, and strongly expect CTED to put the fruits achieved by the visit to practical use.
Mr. President,
Japan continues to attach great importance to preventing the proliferation of goods and technologies related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). We have been working closely with the 1540 Committee to strengthen regional and global efforts to better regulate the export and border control of WMD-related materials.
In addition to regional seminars in Tokyo, Japan has been organizing seminars on non-proliferation and disarmament here in New York as well, partnering with the Missions of Poland and Turkey. We consider that this undertaking, which we will continue in the future, has been nourishing the ties between Member States and the Committee.
Mr. President,
Japan expects that the three committees will continue to carry out their roles and fully cooperate with each other. And we will continue to cooperate positively in the efforts and activities of the three committees.
I thank you.
