Ban thankful for Saudi generous counter-terrorism contribution

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed sincere gratitude to King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia for his announcement Wednesday of a generous new financial contribution of USD 100 million for United Nations Counter Terrorism efforts. "The Secretary-General expresses his appreciation for the significant contribution the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making under the wise leadership of the King to strengthen international peace and security, especially in the global fight against terrorism," a UN statement said. "As a founding Member State of the United Nations, Saudi Arabia has consistently supported United Nations efforts around the world in many different fields. This latest contribution will greatly strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to assist Member States through the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) and other relevant UN bodies in implementing the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006. "The Secretary-General reaffirms his commitment to continue to work with all Member States through relevant United Nations Counter Terrorism bodies to strengthen the international community's efforts to combat the global scourge of terrorism," the statement concluded. The UNCCT was established in 2011 to assist in meeting capacity-building needs of Member States, and to strengthen United Nations' counter-terrorism expertise. The Centre engages with broad spectrum of counter terrorism related issues.