Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - south asia

UN CTED and the Global Center publish joint publication on strengthening regional cooperation to prevent and counter violent extremism in South Asia

BMUSONI — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 17:13:00 +0000

Based on over five years of dialogue and engagement with civil society actors in South Asia, the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the Global Center on Cooperative Security, and the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore have jointly produced an assessment on Strengthening regional cooperation to prevent and counter violent extremism in South Asia.

Providing an overview of regional challenges and suggestions for how these can be remedied, the assessment captures key outcomes of a multiyear project involving civil society and experts. Also included is a set of recommendations that highlight practical ways in which multilateral and regional organizations and national governments can work with various stakeholders to address this threat to the region. The project was supported by CTED, the Global Center, and the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, with generous support from the Government of Norway.

The complete report is available here.

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CTED hosts 12th Regional counter-terrorism workshop for judges, prosecutors, and police in South Asia

BMUSONI — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 09:18:00 +0000

The 12^th Regional workshop for judges, prosecutors, and police in South Asia on effectively countering terrorism took place in Colombo from 5 to 7 June 2017. Over the past eight years, these regional workshops have involved over 300 senior judges, prosecutors, and police officials representing all eight member States of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Organized by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), in cooperation with the Government of Sri Lanka and the Global Center on Cooperative Security, the workshop allows participants to identify a number of counter-terrorism-related gaps and potential solutions.

CTED and its partners continue to take their findings into account in facilitating the delivery of technical assistance aimed at strengthening Member States’ capacities in these areas.

Some of the participants in the workshop.

Representatives of numerous regional and international organizations have been engaged in the project, which provides law enforcement officials from across the region the opportunity to interact and share experiences with their counterparts on sensitive counter-terrorism-related issues.

The project has also fostered the creation of a regional online network of expert practitioners who are able to share information and good practices in a number of sensitive areas, including domestic and international cooperation in criminal matters, interview and interrogation, use of sensitive evidence, advanced investigative techniques, and gender.

Project donors include Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, Sweden, and the United States of America.

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Regional workshop part of building a modern judiciary in South Asia

BMUSONI — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 16:13:00 +0000

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His Lordship K. Sri Pavan, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, with some of the participants. Photo credit: Official Parliament of Sri Lanka photo by U.G. Nuwan Duminda

“The quality of justice will

[…] depend on the quality of performance of our judges. A competent judiciary is an essential ingredient to develop a modern judicial system, that is credible, transparent, speedy, and of high quality.” These were the words of His Lordship K. Sri Pavan, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, in his keynote address to participants in a national workshop for judges held at the Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute in Colombo early October.

Participants of the regional workshop.
Photo credit: Official Parliament of Sri Lanka photo by U.G. Nuwan Duminda

The Sri Lankan national workshop was organized on the margins of a Regional workshop on effectively countering terrorism in South Asia, arranged in the country’s capital on 3-5 October 2016. The regional initiative was the 11^th workshop of its kind, and a concrete way to promote cooperation between those that have to enforce the rules and go after the perpetrators of terrorist acts. This year’s workshop specifically focused on the challenges related to foreign terrorist fighters, individuals who travel to a State other than their States of residence or nationality for the purpose of the perpetration, planning, or preparation of, or participation in, terrorist acts or the providing or receiving of terrorist training, including in connection with armed conflict.

The challenges of deterring and bringing terrorists to justice are large in scope and the complexities often discouraging. In South Asia as in all other parts of the world, terrorism is linked to a host of other challenges including the flow of illicit goods and persons – of explosives, illegal funds, and suspected criminals – across borders. Developing the capacity of States, their law enforcement officials and members of the judiciary on both sides of the border to be adequately equipped to deal with these issues requires a cooperative, sustained approach.

Over the last seven years, the regional workshops – jointly organized by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Global Center on Cooperative Security – have involved over 300 senior judges, prosecutors, and police officials representing all of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. Donor countries include Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, Sweden, and the United States of America. Also representatives of numerous regional and international organizations have been involved in various ways over the years.

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10th South Asia workshop for law enforcement a testimony to the continuity of stronger counter-terrorism cooperation in the region

BMUSONI — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 15:07:00 +0000

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Participants in the workshop.

It is often stressed that prosecution also constitutes prevention of terrorism. But how does that translate into concrete measures on the ground? One way is to promote regional cooperation among those that have to enforce the rules and go after the perpetrators.

The 10^th Regional workshop for judges, prosecutors, and police officers in South Asia on effectively countering terrorism was co-organized by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Global Center on Cooperative Security, with the support of the Governments of Australia and the United States of America. A follow-up to nine previous workshops hosted on a biannual basis in different South Asian countries, the 10^th workshop, held in Bangkok 19-21 October 2015, was a testimony to the persisting efforts of all involved to further strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation in the region.

An unconventional forum to ensure continuous dialogue among judges, prosecutors, and police officers, the workshops enable experts to share their experiences and explore specific issues that arise in the context of terrorism-related cases. Focusing on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), the 10^th workshop gathered judges, prosecutors, and police officers from each Member State of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), representatives from ministries of foreign affairs from those countries, resource persons from other UN Member States, the SAARC Secretariat, and observers from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL, as well as other relevant international agencies.

Workshop panel.

Participants were divided into four separate working group sessions for judges, prosecutors, police officers, and foreign ministry officials to examine issues around the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of AML/CFT cases. The participants also reflected on challenges around regional counter-terrorism cooperation more broadly, the achievements of the UN-led process to date, priority topics, and the way ahead. In the stocktaking session, it was agreed that capacity-building initiatives such as this workshop provide an important platform for regional counterparts to share their experiences, lessons learned and good practices, and most importantly – to develop habits of cooperation.

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9th Regional Workshop for Judges, Prosecutors, and Police Officers on Effectively Countering Terrorism in South Asia concludes

BMUSONI — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 19:11:00 +0000

On 4 November 2014, the 9th Regional Workshop for Judges, Prosecutors, and Police Officers on Effectively Countering Terrorism in South Asia concluded after three full days. Jointly hosted by the Government of the Republic of the Maldives and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the workshop was organized by the Global Center on Cooperative Security, with financial support from the Governments of Denmark and the United States of America.

In regions connected by history, kinships, and shared borders, what happens in one State will impact its neighbours. Terrorism, therefore, affects not just individual States but entire regions. South Asia is one of the regions that have greatly suffered the consequences of terrorism. As part of an effort to promote greater regional cooperation to combat terrorism and other forms of serious crime, CTED has helped to organize a series of workshops that have been held throughout the region for the past six years.

In the Maldives, police, prosecutors, and judges from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka attended the three-day workshop, the purpose of which was to explore specific issues identified by the participants that present the greatest opportunity to enhance efforts to combat terrorism.

Representing the Government of the Maldives at the opening session was Secretary of Defence Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim.

Head of the CTED Delegation was Chief of Section Elizabeth Joyce, who underlined that capacity-building initiatives such as this workshop “provide an important platform for regional counterparts to share their experiences, lessons learned and good practices, to discuss key challenges, and most importantly – to develop habits of cooperation.”

Over the three days, participants were engaged in numerous interactive discussions, facilitated by resource persons from Australia, Nepal, the UK, and the United States of America, and which included a case study in which the judges, prosecutors and police officers, respectively, had to present and explain their positions at the end of the workshop.

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