Meeting of the United Nations Security Council - Remarks by President Jonathan

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (L) WITH THE
UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL, BAN KI-MOON
DURING A BILATERAL MEETING AT THE ONGOING 69TH
SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
IN NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY (24/9/14)

Remarks by
His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
at the High Level Meeting of the United Nations Security Council

Wednesday 24th September, 2014

 PROTOCOLS

 1.              Mr President, I would like to commence by appreciating your vision in convening this timely and crucial meeting. It underpins the long-standing commitment of the United States to the high aims of international peace and security. Our appreciation also goes to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, for the clarity and depth of his briefing.

 2.              Mr President, the people of Nigeria and indeed the entire peace-loving world were horrified at the gruesome murder of two American journalists and a British aid worker by elements linked to the Islamic State (I.S). These murders typify the new face of global terrorism marked by executions, extreme brutality and impunity.

3.              Unfortunately, I.S is not alone in this despicable campaign against humanity. Al Qaeda in the Arab Maghreb, Al Shabaab in Somalia, and Boko Haram in North Eastern Nigeria share this common agenda to unleash terror, mayhem, destruction, and instability around the world.

 4.              There is no doubt that foreign fighters have added a troubling dimension to this emerging phase of terrorism. From targeted attacks by Al Qaeda a few years ago, we now have mobile bands of thousands of terrorists sweeping across vast areas, destroying lives, and even attempting to hold territory. This is unacceptable; we must act now.

 5.              Mr. President, Nigeria knows too well the destructive effects of terrorist activities. Over the past five years, we have been, and are still confronting threats posed by Boko Haram to peace and stability predominantly in the North Eastern part of our country.

6.              The costs are high: over 13,000 people have been killed, whole communities razed, and hundreds of persons kidnapped, the most prominent being the mindless kidnap of our innocent daughters from Chibok Secondary School, in North East Nigeria.

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE NIGERIAN
DELEGATION AT THE 69TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL
ASSEMBLY (UNGA) IN NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY (24/9/14)

7.              Mr. President, as daunting as the challenge may be, we have faced it with unrelenting determination, mobilising all the resources at our disposal to ensure that the scourge of terrorism is rooted out of our nation. In addition to our counterterrorism efforts, we have evolved initiatives to alleviate the plight of the population in the affected communities.

8.              These include a holistic effort through the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) which is aimed at providing immediate relief and fast tracking the infrastructural re-development of the region.  It also has as a core goal, an integrated effort at achieving the de-radicalisation of potential terrorist recruits.

THE WORLD MUST ACT URGENTLY TO STOP TERRORISM

THE WORLD MUST ACT URGENTLY TO STOP TROUBLING NEW PHASE OF GLOBAL TERRORISM- PRESIDENT JONATHAN TELLS UN SECURITY COUNCIL
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said Wednesday in New York that the world must act immediately to stop the troubling new phenomenon of terrorists and foreign fighters attacking and trying to hold parts of sovereign nations.

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
NIGERIAN DELEGATION AT THE 69TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
GENERAL ASSEMBLY (UNGA) IN NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY (24/9/14)

Addressing the United Nations Security Council High-Level Meeting on the Threat of Terrorism to Global Peace and Security, President Jonathan said that the international community must also do more to support countries like Nigeria which are in the frontline of the war against terrorism.
"There is no doubt that foreign fighters have added a troubling dimension to this emerging phase of terrorism. From targeted attacks by Al Qaeda a few years ago, we now have mobile bands of thousands of terrorists sweeping across vast areas, destroying lives, and even attempting to hold territory. This is unacceptable; we must act now.
"We must capitalize on the commitment and evident determination of the Security Council to seek more innovative responses to the threat of terrorism and in particular to the growing menace of foreign fighters.

PRESIDENT JONATHAN CALLS FOR FAST-TRACKING OF UNITED NATIONS REFORMS

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
NIGERIAN DELEGATION AT THE 69TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
GENERAL ASSEMBLY (UNGA) IN NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY (24/9/14)

PRESIDENT JONATHAN CALLS FOR FAST-TRACKING OF UNITED NATIONS REFORMS
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan declared Wednesday in New York that pressing challenges to global peace and security have made it imperative that urgent action be taken on the reformation of United Nations Security Council.

Delivering Nigeria's annual statement to the United Nations General Assembly, President Jonathan also called for an urgent review of United Nations peacekeeping operations across the world.