Saudi Arabia is urging for enhanced international collaboration to thwart terrorist groups from exploiting artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, a call made by Abdulaziz Alwasil, the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Addressing a United Nations General Assembly session on strategic capacity building, Alwasil emphasized the importance of nations collaborating by exchanging expertise, bolstering national capabilities, and investing in long-term initiatives to tackle evolving security threats. He raised concerns about how rapid technological advancements offer extremist groups new avenues to recruit, spread propaganda, finance operations, and plan attacks, specifically highlighting Yemen as a critical area where groups like the Houthi militia and Al-Qaeda are leveraging technologies such as drones.
Alwasil stressed that counterterrorism efforts must extend beyond mere military and security operations. He advocated for robust institutions, modern legal frameworks, international partnerships, and ongoing investments in human and technical expertise to effectively combat terrorism and violent extremism. He pointed out that capacity-building initiatives should be customized to the specific needs of each country and executed in close collaboration with national governments to ensure sustainable outcomes.
The Saudi envoy also highlighted the Kingdom’s significant contributions to global counterterrorism efforts. He noted that Saudi Arabia played a pivotal role in establishing the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre in 2011, providing $110 million to support member states in applying the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Additionally, the Kingdom is actively involved in initiatives like the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, and the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition. The Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, known as Etidal, was also established by Saudi Arabia to utilize advanced technology in monitoring extremist content, countering online propaganda, and promoting public awareness.
Focusing on Yemen, Alwasil reiterated Saudi Arabia’s ongoing support for the country’s internationally recognized government. He mentioned that the Kingdom has been working to strengthen Yemen’s security institutions in coordination with local authorities. These efforts have reportedly enhanced the ability to identify and disrupt financial and logistical networks supporting terrorist groups and prevented the transfer of advanced technology and military capabilities to extremists, thereby contributing to increased security and stability by limiting opportunities for terrorist organizations to exploit instability and expand their operations.