Private sector can contribute in global efforts to counter terrorism, says Secretary-General

Businesses, which are at times the target of terrorist attacks, can also contribute to global efforts to combat the scourge, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.

In a message to the Global Forum for Anti-Terrorism Partnership between Government and Business being held in Moscow, Mr. Annan noted that the recently adopted United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy encourages the world body to reach out to the private sector as part of its efforts, in particular with respect to port, maritime and civil aviation security.

“Just as terrorism does not discriminate amongst its victims, neither does it distinguish between the public and private sectors,” he noted. “Businesses are frequently the direct targets of terrorist attacks. Moreover, terrorism not only affects business infrastructure, but also inflicts serious economic harm.”

“The private sector is well positioned to develop innovative approaches to addressing a number of aspects of terrorism, in particular in the area of protecting vulnerable targets,” he said, hailing the meeting’s focus on the contribution of the UN and other international organizations.

“There is great potential for cooperation between us on a number of provisions contained in the strategy – for example, those pertaining to the financial sector, the Internet, infrastructure, transportation and emergency response,” he said in the message, which was delivered by Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).