The Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations, Ambassador Ion I. Jinga, delivered remarks during the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends on Victims of Terrorism, a virtual event held on the margins of the High-Level Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, on 28 September 2020.
The meeting provided a unique opportunity for dialogue on the topic of the rights and protection of victims of terrorism, with a special focus on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the victims’ situation. At the same time, the event allowed the participants to take stock of the recent progress of the UN System and of its Member States in providing specific assistance to victims of terrorism.
Recalling the Call of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, for an immediate global ceasefire in all conflicts, in order to allow the international community to focus on combating the pandemic, the Romanian Ambassador underlined that terrorism continues to be a major threat to humanity: “Innocent people continue to become casualties of terrorist attacks, affecting persons and countries, causing death and destruction, which proves once again the need for a coordinated multilateral response in order to prevent and counter the scourge of terrorism”.
Referring to the protection of victims of terrorism, he emphasized the importance of strengthening coherence in supporting this vulnerable group and encouraged the involvement of civil society in identifying the most effective solutions: “The assistance measures must be rights-based, survivor-centered, age and gender-sensitive, with equal and non-discriminatory access of victims”.
Ambassador Ion I. Jinga expressed Romania’s intention to strengthen its participation in the activities of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, given the robust contribution of this initiative in promoting the interests and rights of victims.
