Nearly 3 000 people from the United States (US) and more than 90 other countries were killed during the 2001 attacks.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the attacks as “an assault on humanity itself” and paid tribute to the victims, survivors and emergency workers. “As we mark this sombre occasion on September 11, we remember the nearly 3 000 victims, from the United States and more than 90 countries, and stand with their families and loved ones,” Guterres said.
Guterres said the UN continued to stand with New York, the US and everyone affected by the attacks.
The anniversary also marks 20 years since countries adopted the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. “As we pay tribute to the victims, let us renew our shared commitment to build a future free from terrorism,” Guterres said.
However, more than 30 independent UN human rights experts warned that disproportionate counter-terrorism measures adopted since the attacks had weakened civil society, democracy, civic space and the rule of law. “‘Wars on terror’ have stretched foundational rules of international law beyond their breaking point,” the experts said.
The experts cited unlawful occupations, war crimes, secret detention, enforced disappearances, torture, unfair military trials and abuses at the US-operated Guantanamo Bay detention facility. “Too many governments have adopted unnecessary and disproportionate responses that have seriously undermined human rights, civil society, civic space, democracy and the rule of law,” the experts said.
Countries were urged to review counter-terrorism laws and establish independent oversight and accountability mechanisms.
UN staff members also recalled evacuating the organisation’s New York headquarters as the attacks unfolded.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric remembered “a sense of panic” amid reports that another aircraft could be targeting the building.
The UN’s annual Peace Bell ceremony was cancelled as staff evacuated. In the days afterwards, greater unity emerged within the organisation and UN Security Council. “It was like an explosion, and the shockwaves from it can still be felt today,” Dujarric said.
The experts said governments had a duty to protect people from terrorism, but warned that violations committed in the name of security could fuel further instability. “State violations not only cannot defeat terrorism, but can breed it,” the experts said.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
