UNITED NATIONS, Apr 13 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other speakers at a forum — sponsored by Pakistan, Norway and the UN — on Thursday expressed the view that while young people are prime targets of extremist recruiters, they can also play leadership roles in fighting terrorism and creating greater opportunities for all.
“I do not agree that young people are the leaders of tomorrow. More and more, they are the leaders of today,” the secretary-general said, as he praised Pakistani Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi for her initiative in holding the event on “Investing in Youth to Counter Terrorism”.
“I thank all the young women and men who are stepping up and assuming those responsibilities,” he added.
On her part, Ambassador Lodhi told the largely-attended event that Pakistan had, through a comprehensive strategy, turned back the terrorist tide. “My country and its brave people have met this threat with fortitude and determination”.
In his keynote address, Guterres, the UN chief, said, “Nearly half the world’s population –46 per cent — is 24 years-old or younger; Africa and the Middle East have the highest proportions of young people.”
The radicalization of young people is a source of deep concern in rich and poor countries alike, as poisonous ideas flow across borders at the touch of a button or the tap of a tweet, Guterres said.
Terrorist groups exploit social, economic and political injustices to entice young people through false propaganda that glorifies distorted ideologies, while unscrupulous recruiters using social media to lure unsuspecting teenagers down dangerous roads.
Guterres observed that “violent extremist groups target and invest in young people because they are aware of their potential and their strong desire for change.”
In her address, Ambassador Lodhi said that over the past two decades, terrorism had emerged as the most pervasive threat to peace and security even as the international community had intensified its efforts Ito address the challenge.
Young people, she underscored, were the most vulnerable to terrorism. “Terrorist and extremist groups prey on this vulnerability, recruiting youth to their violent ways by playing on their sensitivity to injustice and oppression; by propagating hate, intolerance and violence as the sole response to myriad inequities”, she added.
While agreeing that lack of good governance and absence of the rule of law contribute to the “conditions conducive to terrorism”, Ambassador Lodhi pointed out that more significantly, terrorism is spawned by foreign interference and occupation, political and economic injustice and marginalization as well as discrimination and social exclusion.
Pakistan, she said, had witnessed terrorism emerge and expand in the region as a consequence of unending turmoil and conflict caused principally by a series of foreign interventions in Pakistan’s neighborhood over the past several decades. But Pakistan had turned the tide.
Ambassador Lodhi stressed that hard power was a necessary but not sufficient factor in fighting terrorism. Pakistan, she said, has undertaken the largest anti-terrorism military campaign anywhere in the world, deploying 200,000 troops. “But we complemented the use of force with a holistic National Counter Extremism Policy that encompasses political, economic, social and cultural elements, she added.
She also told the gathering that Pakistan has mobilised faith leaders and scholars to issue a Fatwa to unequivocally condemn terrorism. “The Fatwa also states that the territory of Pakistan will not be permitted to be used for terrorism anywhere”, she said.
Ambassador Lodhi recounted the steps taken by Pakistan Government to engage youth in productive activities, including a comprehensive “Prime Minister’s Youth Programme”, which aims at providing the young and under privileged with skills training, access to higher education as well as to employment.
A short video, highlighting Pakistan’s efforts to turn the tide against terrorism and embark on multidimensional efforts to create an environment for sustainable peace and progress following successive law enforcement was also shown at the event.
The Norwegian Ambassador to UN, Tore Hattrem, in his remarks called for empowerment of youth, calling them the “most important asset” in the fight against terrorism.
Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, who heads the UN Counter-terrorism Office — a sponsor of the event — appreciated the initiative of starting a dialogue on engaging youth to counter terrorism. He underlined a the need for more of such events to develop a consensus on a comprehensive approach to address challenges being faced by youth across world.
For her part, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, asserted, “the fact is, the vast majority of youth are peaceful, and are not in danger of participating in violence.”
“On the contrary,” she continued, “young people’s resilience is transforming local communities while combating extremist movements.”
After the opening session, the panelists highlighted “Challenges faced by Youth in Different Parts of the World” and their efforts to help youth deal with these specific challenges.
The first panelist from Pakistan, Ahmad Jalal, head of the Aman Foundation, highlighted the Foundation’s work in empowering youth.
Dr. Feriha Peracha, Director of the Sabaoon Project gave a presentation on the efforts by Sabaoon towards the de-radicalization of youth involved in violent acts.
The third panelist, Mrs. Shannon Martinez, the US Regional Coordinator for Against Violence and Extremism Network (AVE) emphasized the need to socially integrate young people to prevent them from falling for twisted ideologies. As a former white supremacist, who has left her life of hate behind, and now works on combating violent extremism, she shared her moving experiences with the audience.
After the presentations, the floor was opened to participants’ comments. Speakers from different regions of the world thanked Pakistan and Norway for their timely initiative to organize this event on an issue of critical importance. Ambassadors and representatives who spoke on the occasion included Qatar, Tunisia, Finland, UAE, Mexico, the United States, Morocco, Egypt, Ireland, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Italy.
The event was attended by a large number of Ambassadors, diplomats, UN Secretariat staff and members of civil society.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 13(APP):The United Nations on Thursday launched a trust fund aimed at preventing traffic deaths, as an estimated 1.3 million drivers, passengers and pedestrians lose their lives each year on the world’s roads.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly where the launch was announced, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted the opportunities offered by the UN Road Safety Trust Fund.
“We have a chance to save the lives of millions of people around the world, and to prevent injuries, suffering and the loss of opportunity associated with road accidents,” she said, urging all stakeholders to contribute to the Trust Fund and to step up their efforts to achieve global road safety targets.
According to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Organization’s development arm in the continent, which is also the secretariat for the Trust Fund, every $1,500 contributed to the Fund could save one life; prevent 10 serious injuries; and leverage $51,000 towards investments in road safety.
“The Road Safety Trust Fund will serve as a catalyst for much-needed progress towards the road safety targets of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Olga Algayerova, the head of UNECE, said.
Dealing specifically with road safety, SDG targets 3.6 and 11.2 aim to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents; and to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems as well as improve road safety for all, respectively.
“[We] are committed to working with all stakeholders to multiply the impact of global action to improve road safety,” Ms. Algayerova added.
Echoing these words, Jean Todt, the President of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile and the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, also underlined the importance scaling up of resources to achieve global road safety targets.
“[The Trust Fund] has the potential to galvanize our global efforts to address the road safety situation, building on the progress made and experience gained over the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020,” he said.
The Trust Fund will support efforts along the five pillars of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, which include strengthened road safety management capacities; improved safety of road infrastructure and broader transport networks; enhanced safety of vehicles; improved behaviour of road users; and improved post-crash care.
Also on Thursday, the UN General Assembly ” the UN body with universal membership of all 193 Member States” adopted a resolution on road safety in which it called for a host of measures to prevent road accidents and to minimizing the resulting damage.
One of the measures, it urged, the adoption policies and measures to implement vehicle safety regulations to ensure that all new motor vehicles meet “applicable minimum regulations for the protection of occupants and other road users, with seat belts, airbags and active safety systems fitted as standard equipment.”

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 12 (APP):Armed conflict in Afghanistan killed 763 civilians and injured 1,495 in the first three months of this year, the United Nations mission said Thursday.
“All parties to the conflict in Afghanistan must do everything in their power to protect civilians from harm,” Ingrid Hayden, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, said. “Afghan civilians continue to suffer, caught in the conflict, in ways that are preventable; this must stop now.”
The 2,258 civilian casualties, documented from 1 January to 31 March by the UN Assistance Mission in the country, known as UNAMA, are at the similar levels recorded in the first three months of 2017 and 2016. Anti-Government elements caused 1,500 civilian casualties, up six per cent from the same period last year.
Suicide improvised explosive devices (IED) and complex attacks were the leading cause of civilian casualties – a new trend. The Mission found that combats on the ground were the second leading cause, followed by targeted and deliberate killings, explosive remnants of war, and aerial operations.