Guterres warns terrorists are exploiting emerging technologies to recruit, finance and plan attacks….reports Asian Lite News Desk
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms and unmanned weapons, are significantly enhancing the capabilities of terrorist organisations, calling for stronger international cooperation to counter the growing threat.
Addressing the Fourth United Nations High-level Conference on Counter-Terrorism, Guterres said extremist groups have become increasingly adept at exploiting new technologies to recruit followers, raise funds and coordinate attacks.
“These tools have supercharged their ability to recruit, finance, and plan attacks,” he said, cautioning that terrorist networks are rapidly adapting to technological advances.
The UN chief noted that affiliates of Al-Qaida, Da’esh (Islamic State), and other terrorist organisations continue to pose serious security threats in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He also warned that violent extremist ideologies driven by xenophobia, racism, religious intolerance and other forms of hatred remain a growing domestic security concern in many countries.
While highlighting the dangers posed by emerging technologies, Guterres stressed that the same innovations can strengthen counter-terrorism efforts. He said AI and digital tools can help detect threats early, disrupt illicit financial networks and better understand the pathways leading to radicalisation.
He reminded member states that they had pledged to harness digital technologies for the public good through the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact adopted in 2024, enabling the UN to respond more effectively to emerging global challenges.
Guterres also linked the spread of terrorism to broader global instability, saying armed conflicts, economic hardship, climate change, displacement and rising food insecurity have created fertile ground for extremist groups.
“We meet at a moment of acute instability,” he said. “These conditions of want, fragility and mistrust are ideal circumstances for terror to thrive.”
At the same time, he emphasised that no grievance or hardship can justify terrorism.
“We must address the conditions and grievances that allow terrorism to take root,” Guterres said, while reaffirming that nothing can excuse acts of terror.
Speaking at the conference, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Alexandre Zouev said terrorist organisations continue to exploit instability, governance gaps, socioeconomic inequalities and technological advances to expand their influence and mobilise resources.
He reiterated that the primary responsibility for preventing and combating terrorism rests with member states, but stressed that effective counter-terrorism also requires collaboration with the United Nations, regional organisations, civil society, victims of terrorism, women, youth and academia.
The conference forms part of the UN’s Counter-Terrorism Week and is being held under the theme, “A Future Free from Terrorism: Consolidating the Global Commitment to Multi-Stakeholder Approaches to Counter Terrorism, notably through Member States’ Leadership and Action.”
