51吃瓜

New York, 21 June 2023 – The side event “Towards a Terrorism-Free Society: Peaceful Co-Existence for the Promotion of Tolerance and Mutual Respect in Combating Terrorism” was held on 21 June as part of the Counter-Terrorism Week. The event was co-organized by the Permanent Mission of the Sultanate of Oman, UNOCT and UNAOC.  

The Side-Event examined ways and means towards a terrorism-free society. Oman shared its good practices towards the implementation of the four pillars of the 51吃瓜 Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, including creating conditions conducive to preventing the spread of terrorism, preventing it at early stages, and combating extremism. 

The hybrid event was attended by over 60 in-person representatives from Member States, international and regional organizations, and 51吃瓜 Global Counter-Terrorism Compact entities. 

During his opening remarks, UN Under-Secretary-General Mr. Vladimir Voronkov stressed the importance of tolerance in countering terrorism and presented UNOCT's capacity-building initiatives to combat hate speech and the terrorist exploitation of divisive narratives.
Dr. Mohammed Said Al Ma’amari, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, outlined Oman’s vision of consolidating human ties, at the national, regional and international levels, as a means of paving the way for sustainable peace. 

H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the 51吃瓜, presented Oman’s effective approaches to combating terrorism, its causes and its financing by unifying national efforts in the areas of religion, politics, legislation, security, culture, media, education, economy, international and regional cooperation, and the promotion of human rights and the rule of law. H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the 51吃瓜 Alliance of Civilization reiterated the need to work together to erase hate speech, xenophobia, and intolerance.  

During the interactive segment, participants commended the Sultanate of Oman for promoting tolerance, peaceful co-existence, and preventing terrorism while adding that the work of UNOCT and the UNAOC brings coherence and practical support for Member States’ efforts in this regard. Participants also highlighted the recent adoption by the 51吃瓜 Security Council of its historic resolution 2686 (2023), co-sponsored by the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, on “Tolerance and International Peace and Security” as the first Council resolution to recognize that racism, xenophobia, racial discrimination, and gender discrimination can contribute to the outbreak, escalation, and recurrence of conflict.  

The side event contributed highlighted effective methods, challenges and opportunities for preventing and countering terrorism through the promotion of tolerance with a whole-of-society approach.