UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the international community not to lower its guard against terrorism as extremist groups expand their reach.

“Terrorism is an affront to humanity as it undermines the values that bind us together,” he said in his message to mark the first-ever ‘International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism’, established in December by the UN General Assembly.

He went on to add that terrorism also threatened collective efforts to promote peace and security, protect human rights, provide humanitarian aid, and advance sustainable development.

“We must be more vigilant than ever,” he said, “terrorist and violent extremist groups are finding fertile ground on the internet to spew their vicious venom.”

He added that neo-Nazi, white supremacist movements were becoming “more dangerous” by the day and represent the top internal security threat in several countries, as well as the fastest growing.

The UN chief stressed that countries must act to confront the challenge through prevention, and by addressing the underlying conditions that drive terrorism in the first place.

He highlighted the importance of inclusion and ensuring that counter-terrorism strategies reflect a wide array of voices — especially minorities, women, and young people.

Human rights must be at the core of all counter-terrorism policies, he added.

“Today and every day, let us work together to build more peaceful, inclusive, and stable societies in which terror and violent extremism have no home,” the UN secretary general said.