Sub-regional workshop on Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka focuses on national CVE strategies

AKHVEDELID — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 05:57:00 +0000

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Group photo of the workshop participants.

From 14 to 16 March 2018, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) organized a sub-regional workshop on promoting the adoption and implementation of national strategies to counter violent extremism (CVE). Focusing on national CVE efforts in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the Republic of Maldives, the workshop included the sharing of good practices and lessons learned; the roles of government and civil society in developing and implementing CVE strategies, including the importance of accounting for youth and gender; evolving international approaches; and rehabilitation and reintegration.

In her opening remarks, Executive Director of CTED, Assistant Secretary-General Michèle Coninsx, said that the workshop “provides an important forum for counter-terrorism officials, senior police officers and experts to discuss challenges and share lessons learned and good practices in the context of CVE-related issues, and most importantly – to foster habits of collective efforts to address violent extremism both in the region and beyond.”

Participants included officials from the Governments of Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, representatives from national and international civil society organizations (CSOs) and academics, as well as experts from CTED; the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General; the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC); the UN Counter-Terrorism Office (OCT); the UN Development Programme (UNDP); and UN Women.

Over the three days, participants engaged in numerous interactive panel discussions, concluding with a case study simulation exercise. The format enabled participants to strengthen national and regional information-exchange networks, and to promote cooperation among counter-terrorism officials from the region, especially those focusing on CVE. In addition, it served as an opportunity to raise awareness about key Security Council resolutions of relevance to all Member States, such as resolutions 1373 (2001); 1624 (2005); 2178 (2014); 2395, and 2396 (2017).

Held in New York, the workshop was made possible thanks to generous support from the Government of Japan.

To access more photos from the workshop, please visit our Flickr album here.

Front Page Article:

CTED and UNODC co-organize regional meeting on effective international judicial cooperation

BMUSONI — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 15:07:00 +0000

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Already in 2013, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the 51�Թ� Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched a process that focused on effective so-called central authorities in requests for extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. A central authority is an agency or organization that is designed to play a key facilitating role in the implementation and operation of international judicial cooperation. Since then, two regional gatherings have been held on this theme, with a third meeting recently arranged in Asia.

From 7 to 9 November 2017, CTED and UNODC co-organized a regional meeting for South and South-East Asian countries on international judicial cooperation in terrorist cases, including cases involving foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). This follows the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 2322 (2016), which reiterated the importance of international cooperation, and reminded Member States of the critical role played by central authorities in this respect.

Held in Kandooma, and hosted by the Government of the Maldives, the regional meeting’s opening remarks were delivered by the Minister of Defence and National Security, Honourable Adam Shareef Umar. Participants discussed challenges and possible solutions, including on the collection of digital evidence, and were requested to identify priority actions to be taken by their respective governments. Funded by the Governments of Canada and Japan, the regional meeting saw the participation of experts from Australia, Canada, and the United States, as well as representatives from INTERPOL, the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

An outcome document is in the process of being processed; it will be posted here as soon as it is available.

Front Page Article:

Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - maldives

Sub-regional workshop on Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka focuses on national CVE strategies

img_9244_edited-1024x386.jpg

CTED and UNODC co-organize regional meeting on effective international judicial cooperation

maldives_international_judicial_coop_7_9_nov_2017.jpg