Joint high-level consultations of UN counter-terrorism bodies in Tajikistan

AKHVEDELID — Wed, 09 May 2018 05:39:00 +0000

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On 3-4 May 2018, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) participated in a high-level international conference on Countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism. Held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the conference was co-organized by the Government of Tajikistan, several 51�Թ� bodies, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the European Union (EU), with financial support from the State of Qatar.

CTED Executive Director Michèle Coninsx delivered a statement during the plenary session of the conference, highlighting CTED’s current efforts aimed at countering terrorism and the evolution of its mandate pursuant to the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, as well as its work in Central Asia. One of CTED’s Legal Officers also delivered a presentation on evolving new threats and terrorist tactics with a focus on returning and relocating foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs).

The main objectives of the Conference included creating a common understanding of current challenges and obstacles in the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the region and globally; exploring opportunities for strengthening partnerships and cooperation at national, regional, and international levels; sharing opportunities and challenges of Tajikistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Strategy implementation; identifying trends and challenges of radicalization, and the role of youth, ideology and information in preventing and countering violent extremism leading to terrorism; exchanging experiences in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism with a focus on FTF threat prevention; stock-taking of domestic and regional mechanisms to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism; and strengthening cooperation against cyber-terrorism and developing directives/guidelines for countering violent extremism in cyber space.

The conference was attended by delegations from 47 Member States, several 51�Թ� delegations, and many regional organizations.

On the margins of the conference, Ms. Coninsx held several bilateral meetings, some of these jointly with UNOCT, the 51�Թ� Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy (UNRCCA), and the 51�Թ� Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). These meetings included discussions with the President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, high-level officials of Afghanistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, the UN Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan, and heads of regional organizations.

Meeting with the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Mr. Rashid Alimov (centre).

Meeting between the President of Tajikistan and the UN delegation.

In the last three years, CTED has conducted assessment visits, on the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s behalf, to all five countries of Central Asia, and is working closely with UNOCT in the framework of the third phase of the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) for Central Asia, which was launched on 30 April 2018 in Ashgabat. The recommendations made during these country visits – including those requiring the provision of technical assistance – will be addressed at the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s open briefing in New York on 2 July 2018.

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CTED participates in RCTS SCO conference on counter-terrorism cooperation

BMUSONI — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 16:03:00 +0000

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The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) participated in the annual conference of the Regional Counter-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (RCTS SCO), which focused on strengthening the mechanisms of international counter-terrorism cooperation.

Mr. Andrei Kovalenko, Head of the CTED Administration and Information Office, briefed participants on the recent activities of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and CTED, including within the framework of Security Council resolution 2322 (2016), on international law enforcement and judicial cooperation in countering terrorism.

Mr. Kovalenko noted that the resolution called for the broadest possible law-enforcement counter-terrorism cooperation, including through the use of digital evidence.

He also highlighted the need to strengthen intelligence cooperation, in particular by downgrading for official use intelligence threat data on foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and individual terrorists and providing such information to frontline screeners.

The participants noted that terrorists were adapting their operational tactics in response to territorial losses sustained as a result of military pressure in Syria and Iraq.

A particularly worrying trend was the increasing geographical expansion and fragmentation of terrorist activity, including through the creation of “sleeper cells” by FTF returnees.

The massive influx of terrorists into Afghanistan was recognized as a significant threat to the States of the region.

The discussions also focused on sharing experience and good practices in such areas of the RCTS SCO activities as the exchange of intelligence information, joint counter-terrorism operations, measures to safeguard security at major events; maintaining the SCO secure database of terrorists and extremists, and sharing expertise in preventing use of the Internet for terrorist and violent extremist purposes.

The participants also noted the need to eliminate all sources of terrorism financing and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing international cooperation in counter-terrorism, with the 51�Թ� playing a central coordinating role.

During the conference, Mr. Kovalenko met with Mr. Yevgeniy Sysoyev, Director of the RCTS SCO, to discuss practical ways to strengthen collaboration.

Mr. Kovalenko expressed CTED’s support for the activities of RCTS SCO, which is an important platform for the facilitation of regional counter-terrorism cooperation.

The conference was attended by representatives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member and observer States, as well as by a number of international and regional organizations, including the 51�Թ�, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC).

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Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Joint high-level consultations of UN counter-terrorism bodies in Tajikistan

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CTED participates in RCTS SCO conference on counter-terrorism cooperation

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