Work together to battle global terrorism: Aus Foreign Minister

United Nations, Sept 23: Australia has said that Global terrorism and the extreme Islamist ideologies driving it must be defeated and it can effectively be battled if everyone worked together, sharing knowledge and resources. Addressing the 72nd annual session of the UN General Assembly yesterday, the Australina Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said other threats were the increasing activities of non-State actors, terrorism and violent extremism. “Global terrorism – and the extreme Islamist ideologies driving it – must be confronted and defeated,” she stressed, adding that terrorism can be effectively battled, and beaten, if everyone worked together, sharing knowledge and resources. Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs told the General Assembly while the United Nations had been established to build an international rules-based order for peaceful dispute resolution, “we are now in a time when the challenges to that order are increasing.” “The most egregious example is North Korea,” continued Ms Bishop, pointing out that the country was openly defying the UN Security Council, putting millions of people at risk. "It is crucial for all UN Member States to strictly implement the Council’s sanctions to compel Pyongyang to abandon its illegal programmes,” said Ms Bishop yesterday addressing the 72nd annual session of the UN General Assembly. Ms Bishop drew a link between security and economic development, saying that one cannot be achieved without the other. She endorsed a UN development system more focused on sustainable economic development that provides opportunities and facilitates partnerships with the private sector. Noting that economic resilience can be undermined by natural and man-made disasters, she cited the 2030 agenda, Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and the World Humanitarian Summit's Grand Bargain as “a blueprint for global action on those problems which can only be addressed by working together on challenges that don't respect national borders.” UNI