UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the fight against terrorism will never succeed if the “denial and destruction” of human rights is perpetuated.
Speaking at the ninth meeting of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact in New York, he called for all counter-terrorism policies and initiatives to be “firmly grounded” within their defence. “Combatting terror must never be used as an excuse for trampling on people’s human rights,” he said. “When we protect human rights, we are in fact tackling many of the root causes of terrorism.”
The UN chief said the Compact’s work was now “more important than ever”. “Terrorism remains a global scourge an affront to humanity on every level,” he added.