MINSK, 3 September (BelTA) – Belarus is establishing itself as one of the leaders in combating the use of cyberspace for terrorist purposes, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office Vladimir Voronkov said in Minsk on 3 September at the international high-level conference on countering terrorism through innovative approaches and the use of new and emerging technologies, BelTA has learned.
Vladimir Voronkov thanked Belarus for the co-organization of the forum. "Belarus is establishing itself as one of the leaders, both globally and regionally, in combating the use of cyberspace as well as emerging technologies for terrorist purposes. Success in this fight is one of the crucial prerequisites for the ultimate win over terror,” he stressed.
Vladimir Voronkov named today's conference as a perfect opportunity to assess rapidly developing threats, work out innovative approaches to address common issues. This will help strengthen the national, regional and interregional potential in combating terrorism, he added.
“Only by joint efforts can we counteract the increasing threat of terrorism. Only acting like this can we be one step ahead,” the under-secretary-general of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office said. He called for closer cooperation between the government, the technological sector and religious leaders in using online platforms to promote reasons for preventing radicalization of the most vulnerable groups.
Vladimir Voronkov also spoke about the use of artificial intelligence in counter-terrorism. The latest developments in the sector make it possible to process and identify information immediately, detect and delete terrorists' online content within 15-20 minutes.
The international conference brought together 66 delegations, including representatives of 55 states as well as international non-government organizations and academic communities.
The forum aims to discuss multilateral efforts and develop solutions at the global, regional and national levels to combat terrorists and terrorist groups amid a wider access to and a growing complexity of applied technologies. The conference will be divided into three themed sessions to discuss the misuse of new technologies and artificial intelligence by terrorists, approaches and strategies to counteract terrorist propaganda and the misuse of scientific progress.
The conference is running in Minsk on 3-4 September. The event, co-organized by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), is held in a follow-up to the international high-level meeting that took place in Minsk under the aegis of the OSCE in October 2018.
