Statement by Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations at the Security Council Open Debate on 'Threats to international peace and security: Linkage between international terrorism and organized crime'
(9 July March 2019)
Mr. President,
My delegation congratulates Peru on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council and for convening today's open debate on an important topic.
I also thank the briefers for their insightful presentations this morning.
Mr. President,
The nexus between terrorism and transnational organized crimes is complex, and varies across different contexts.
We know that since 9/11, criminal and terrorist outfits have cooperated to facilitate each despite their divergent objectives.
In our view, there are four major areas of confluence between organized crime and terrorism:
- One,increasing cooperation between them especially for acquisition of arms, ammunition and explosive materials.
- Two, terrorist outfits increasingly relying on organized crime as a financing tool.
- Three, terrorist groups recruit criminals, in particular marginalized youth, to advance their agenda.
- Four, organized crime flourishes in areas outside government control, and under the patronage of terrorist outfits.
Mr. President,
Being one of the principal victims of terrorism, Pakistan's resolve to eliminate this scourge is clear and unwavering.
Proceeds from narco-trade, kidnapping for ransom, extortion, smuggling of natural resources and human trafficking are some of the key sources of finance for terrorist organizations in our region.
Located next to the epicenter of the world drug problem, Pakistan also remains one of the most affected transit States for illicit drug trafficking. With limited resources, our law enforcement agencies continue to make record drug seizures every year - a tangible manifestation of our consistent and dedicated efforts to not only protect our own country, but also protect the rest of the world from this scourge.
Mr. President,
We share the goal of the international community to address the world drug problem through appropriate national, bilateral, regional and international measures.
At the regional and global levels, Pakistan has remained constructively engaged with various counter-narcotics related forums and initiatives:
- Pakistan is an active participant of the UNODC Regional Programme for Afghanistan and its Neighboring Countries.
- We are cooperating with Iran and Afghanistan under the UNODC-sponsored Triangular Initiative.
- Under the Quartet initiative, we are collaborating with Russia, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to combat drug trafficking.
- We have strengthened cooperation with the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre (CARRIC) which is a useful forum to coordinate regional anti-drugs efforts at the operational level.
Mr. President,
My country believes that only through collective regional and international efforts can we choke the various sources that support terrorist outfits through organized crime.
We believe an effective strategy to achieve these goals must take into account the following five points:
- One, to ensure that our responses are evidence-based, the international community should allocate proper resources to better understand the correlation between terror financing and transnational organized crimes.
- Two, there are instances, including in our region, where there is a nexus between drug production, instability and lack of alternative economic opportunities. It is important to re-establish government control over territories used for drug production, and promote development to provide alternative livelihoods.
- Three, in dealing with the world drug problem, it is important to focus on reducing both the supply and the demand of narcotics drugs through a well-integrated, comprehensive and balanced approach.
- Four, effective border controls are a prerequisite to clamping down on transnational organized crime and terrorism.
- And lastly, strategies need to be tailored to specific challenges presented by specific regional dynamics and conditions. It is vital to build capacities and capabilities of states facing these challenges. This is where the UN can play an effective role.
Pakistan, Mr. President, will continue to play its role to sever the vicious link between terrorism and organized crime in our region. This is critical for our own people, as well as for our neighbourhood and indeed the rest of the world.
I thank you, Mr. President.