Polska w ONZ

21 stycznia 2025 r. Polska wzięła udział w debacie otwartej Rady Bezpieczeństwa ONZ nt. przeciwdziałania terroryzmowi w Afryce.

Tekst wystąpienia wygłoszony przez Krzysztofa Szczerskiego, Stałego Przedstawiciela RP przy NZ w Nowym Jorku, dostępny jest poniżej.

Mr. President,

Let me begin by commending Algeria for convening this timely meeting. I would also like to express my appreciation to all distinguished briefers for their insightful remarks.  

Poland aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and wishes to underline several issues of utmost importance.

Excellencies,

Though the battle against terrorism in Africa has intensified in recent years, the current picture, as we have heard today, remains bleak.

Various sources reveal three major trends in terrorism across the continent. Firstly, the alarming increase in the number of terrorist attacks, secondly, the rising number of fatalities resulting from these attacks as well as displacement of people and thirdly, the persistence of the geographic spread of terrorism, particularly in the Sahel and the West African coastal states. 

Terrorist groups are taking advantage of the instability and existing conflicts to increase their operations and intensify attacks across the continent.

Their senseless, terror-fueled violence has resulted in deaths and injuries of thousands of people, and many more continue to suffer from the actions of radical Islamist terrorist groups.

Excellencies,

Terrorist organizations have taken advantage of the unstable political, financial and social situation in the region. Their growing across the region exacerbates the humanitarian crisis and spreads instability. This generates security risks not only to the directly affected countries, but to other regions as well. 

We also see continued malign foreign influence in the continent. Such actors  as the former Wagner Group, have benefitted from the absence of stable governments to expand their operations.

The presence of mercenaries only aggravates conflicts and inflates violent extremism and terrorist acts. 

Moreover, we see the harmful impact of growing interference of some external state actors in Africa’s information space. An unprecedented scale of disinformation is a breeding ground for unjustified anti-Western sentiments or ethnic and religious extremism. 

Mr. President,

Terrorism is rooted in the low level of economic development of countries and communities. Poverty, depletion of natural resources, lack of perspectives for the youth and the weak position of girls and women in the society are all factors contributing to the instability.

In addition, structural failings, poor governance, and weak state security in many African states have been the main cause of the growing insurgency, long predating the ‘war on terror’ narrative.

Counter-terrorism measures are often necessary, but alone will not yield lasting results unless they are paired with sustainable economic development and empowerment for local populations.

As member of the Peacebuilding Commission, Poland underlines that we must continue to take an integrated approach to support stabilization and development in Africa, using all available instruments, including humanitarian assistance, development aid and security sector reform, bespoke to the realities on the ground.

We must also focus on governance, security and resilience.

Excellencies,

I wish to conclude by stressing and reiterating that any lasting solution to halting the spread of terror in Africa should be based on national ownership of the process, as well as sub-regional and regional efforts that acknowledge and address the political and economic drivers of conflict. We remain committed to supporting African-led initiatives to confront the surge of terrorism.

Thank you.