he growing global threat of terrorism and extremism demands for stronger international cooperation, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said in a series of meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s 71st session in New York.
She asserted at the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) on Wednesday that extremism and terrorism are not related to the issue of religion, nationality, civilization or ethnicity, but instead related to mindset and ideology, according to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
“There is no option for the international community [other] than to cooperate more closely in the fight against terrorism,” Retno said in the statement.
Important necessary steps must be taken, starting from strengthening a counter-narrative approach through social media against terrorism and extremism, she said.
Women empowerment is also pivotal to foster a global movement to encourage moderation and tolerance. As mothers, Retno said, women have a key role to instill culture and ideology to their children who would go on to shape society.
She also echoed the notion at the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) ministerial meeting, stressing the importance of cooperation at the international level between countries, regional organizations and non-governmental organizations in addressing global problems such as armed conflicts, terrorism and humanitarian crisis.
“There is not one country that can overcome the challenges of the 21st century without international cooperation,” she said at the ICM, a forum that reported that conflicts have tripled since 2007. (rin)
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