Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, terrorism and radical extremism have "disappeared from the headlines" but remain insidious threats and are fuelled by poverty and inequality, Italy's foreign undersecretary Marina Sereni said on Monday.
"Terrorism and radical extremism may have disappeared from the headlines, but they have not disappeared from our societies," Sereni told an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) taking place conference in Vienna and online.
“Today we are forced to face this challenge together against the background of Covid-19," Sereni told the 'Effective Partnerships Against Terrorism and Violent Extremism and Radicalization that lead to Terrorism' conference.
It is vital that nations stay committed to countering "a very dangerous and constantly evolving global threat,"' Sereni said.
“We cannot let our guard down...today more than ever, we must continue to forge effective partnerships," Sereni underlined.
"If our societies tend to widen economic and social disparities, if schools leave the most vulnerable behind and increase unemployment, marginalising young people, if we fail to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, the dangerous seeds of radicalization and violent extremism will grow," Sereni warned.
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