UNIS/VIC/107
11 September 2003
"No Nation Can Stand Alone in Fight Against Terror," Says Director-General Of UNOV
VIENNA, 11 September (UN Information Service) -- Following is the statement of Antonio Maria Costa, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the occasion of the 2nd Anniversary of the 11 September attacks.
11 September has become an unforgettable date -- a symbol of terrorism and its deadly consequences: 3,016 people, from over 80 countries, fell victim to terrorist attacks.
On this occasion, I also recall another dark day - perhaps the saddest in the history of the United Nations. Last month, the attack on the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad claimed the lives of 23 people, most of them UN staff, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, Special Representative of the Secretary-General. Our fallen colleagues, whose lives were taken suddenly and violently, were dedicated international civil servants committed to helping the people of Iraq.
The victims of terrorism extend beyond these events, with loss and grief experienced in Indonesia, India, Morocco, the Middle East and elsewhere.
One hard lesson has been that no nation -- big or small -- can fight terrorism alone: the United Nations provides the forum and framework for the international community to face the challenge together. After the September 11 attacks, international cooperation against terrorism has advanced, including through the efforts of the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee.
Here, in Vienna, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is assisting Member States in becoming party to, and implementing the global anti-terrorism instruments. Efforts to defeat terrorism must involve all members of civil society - nations, regional organizations, and individuals alike. The UNODC will do all it can to provide the context for all of them to work together.
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