STORY: UN chief says prevention most effective way to ending terrorism
DATELINE: June 20, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:19
LOCATION: UN headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. wide shot of conference room
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
3. wide shot of conference room
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (French): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
5. wide shot of conference room

STORYLINE:

The international community should focus on prevention as the most effective approach to ending the global menace of terrorism, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

He made the remarks at a UN high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies of member states.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"Prevention means more than just foiling attacks and disrupting plots. It means addressing the underlying conditions that can lead to terrorism in the first place, such as poverty, discrimination, disaffection, weak infrastructure and institutions and gross violations of human rights."

Prevention also means inclusion and "placing human rights and the rule of law at the core of all that we do," he added.

The UN chief also outlined other areas of focus to step up counter-terrorism efforts, including the lack of funding.

SOUNDBITE 2 (French): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"But we are facing a worsening funding crunch, with assessed contributions to our organization going unpaid. This shortfall will have serious implications, both for our peacekeeping efforts and for the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism. I call on all Member States to fulfill their funding commitments and ensure that we have the resources to help take on this common challenge."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN headquarters.
(XHTV)