Terrorism Is Top Threat To World Peace – U.N. Chief

A long list of conflict-ridden hotspots threatens to create a destabilized situation similar to a Cold War in the world today and this requires action to ensure peace and security, the United Nations warned on Thursday.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon listed terrorism on top of the conflicts that continue to threaten world peace, citing the carnage in Yemen as well as the "despicable attack against the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo."

In response to the Paris shooting that killed 12 people on Wednesday, Ban reminded world leaders that the response to brutality and extremism cannot be limited to military action alone.

"We must engage in wide-ranging efforts, including by addressing the conditions that give rise to such poison in the first place," he said.

"There is also a need for greater attention to the nexus of extremism and organized crime; this year's Crime Congress in April in Qatar can help strengthen criminal justice systems for this work," he told the U.N. General Assembly.

Ban also appealed for those conducting military actions against terrorists to fully observe human rights, saying: "Failure to do so can be counter-productive, since we have seen time and again that this is a recruiting agent for terrorists."

The U.N. leader also called for a continued provision of humanitarian assistance to millions of Syrian refugees that are affected by a conflict, which is now entering its fifth year.

"The conflict in Syria continues to inflict immense suffering and will soon enter its fifth year. We must continue to provide humanitarian assistance to millions of refugees and affected people in and outside the country," Ban urged.

Almost 200,000 Syrians have lost their lives while 9 million others have been forced from their homes in a series of violent protests that began in March 2011 and has protracted into a bloody civil war.

The conflict between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposing his rule has made Syrian nationals the largest refugee population in the world, according to the U.N.

At the same time, the U.N. leader also expressed concern about an upsurge of fighting in Darfur and other parts of Sudan as well as the crisis in South Sudan, which has entered into its second year.

"Horrendous violence continues in parts of the Central African Republic, northern Mali and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Chaos in Libya is spreading, and violence in Yemen is growing," he added.

The U.N. leader also called for strong support for the transition in Afghanistan as well as the on-going conflict in Ukraine, which has cost well over 4,000 lives that reanimates the ghosts of Cold War in Europe.

He also called on the U.N. General Assembly not to resign itself to a worsening of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians as he urged both sides to ease the situation in Gaza and the West Bank by moving away from confrontation towards a negotiated settlement.