Ambassador Raff Bukun-Olu Onemola
Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations
New York, NY
15th November, 2010
As Delivered
I would also like to convey our appreciation to you, Mr. President, for convening this debate. I thank the Permanent Representatives of Turkey, Mexico and Austria for their useful briefings on the activities carried out by their respective Committees and teams.
We are pleased with the efforts of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), under the direction of Ambassador Apakan, in ensuring the effective implementation of that resolution and resolution 1624 (2005). Through the effective use of tools such as informative meetings with the wider United Nations membership, dialogue and cooperation with Member States and external outreach programmes, the Committee has contributed significantly to raising awareness on the need to implement those resolutions.
We have found very useful the ongoing constructive dialogue between our Mission, our capital and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) on counter-terrorism matters. These interactions and political consensus with our Government have bolstered our counter-terrorism activities. We thank Mr. Mike Smith, Executive Director of CTED, and his team for their support and efforts.
We welcome the discussions in the Committee on the progress and challenges facing West Africa in the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). We all now have a better understanding of the current threats and challenges in the sub region. We should now aim to address the identified gaps. With regard to capacity building, we are of the view that more will be achieved by delivering assistance in an integrated manner through equal focus on all relevant national sectors. At the same time, we will need a self-sustaining knowledge transfer aimed at bridging the existing knowledge gap.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is vital in our efforts to promote counterterrorism measures within the West African sub region. That is even more so as counter-terrorism matters increasingly occupy the agenda of West African States, individually and collectively. Our hope is that, in the coming year, the partnership between CTED and
ECOWAS will result in concrete achievements.
The Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) remains a vital tool that enables the international community to prohibit non-State actors access to weapons of mass destruction. Nigeria strongly supports the work of the Committee and appreciates the efforts made by Ambassador Heller and the Committee, particularly in improving outreach programmes and greater visibility for the Committee. The clearing house role of the Committee in matching assistance requests and offers needs to be sustained, so as to promote greater implementation of the resolution by States.
As its work continues to grapple with the increasing challenge of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the Committee should not relent in its efforts to assess and monitor the risk of these weapons falling into the hands of non-State actors. Promoting the broader process of international cooperation should continue to be an area of focus for the Committee.
We welcome the remarkable contributions of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) under the directorship of Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting. The conclusion of the review of the 488 names on the consolidated list, in accordance with
Security Council resolution 1822 (2008), and the appointment of Ms. Kimberly Prost as the Omnbudsperson are positive steps.
We further welcome the efforts of the Committee to improve its procedures, including by adopting new guidelines for its work. In the same vein, the six-month review of deceased persons’ names and the annual review of names on the consolidated list that have not been reviewed in three or more years are commendable. These measures should be strengthened through regular improvement of the identification and de-listing process of individuals and entities, as this will enhance the credibility of the 1267 sanctions regime. It is important that, at all times, the list remain as accurate as possible, and the fundamental rights of individuals adequately guaranteed.
We welcome the close cooperation and coordination among the three counter-terrorism Committees. We encourage them to continue their joint efforts to improve information-sharing, to coordinate their relationship with international, regional and subregional organizations and to participate within the framework of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force.