UN chief urges greater cooperation to address global security challenges

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for greater international cooperation to combat transnational security threats, saying criminals were increasingly exploiting technology to carry out their nefarious activities across the world.

“No single country can address transnational threats on its own; only joint efforts at local, national, regional and international levels will suffice,” Mr. Ban said in a message to the second International Meeting of High Representatives on Security Issues that opened today in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Mr. Ban said has been working to promote the United Nations role in preventive diplomacy with encouragement from Member States and he was convinced that global collaboration would lead to success in preventing and mitigating the impact of armed conflicts on individuals and societies.

“But let us also recognize that prevention encompasses more than conflict,” said the Secretary-General in the message delivered on his behalf by Sandeep Chawla, the Deputy Executive Director of UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

“Terrorism, nuclear proliferation, transnational organized crime, and the illegal trafficking in people, drugs and weapons are increasingly prevalent parts of this picture.

“And many of the same technological advances that have generated economic growth and other societal gains have also been exploited by criminals, and have led to the growth of cyber crime as well,” he said, adding that the “globalization” of the threats could outstrip international capacity to respond.

The international community needed to catch up with perpetrators of crime and their networks before the damage spreads, the Secretary-General said.

The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which serves as the guardian of legal instruments on drugs, crime and corruption, were geared towards addressing both long-standing threats to human security and emerging ones, Mr. Ban added.

He described the meeting in Yekaterinburg as “timely and vital,” adding that the UN looked forward to deepening international cooperation to address the security threats facing the world.