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:

Counter-Terrorism Committee holds informal meeting on priority technical assistance needs of Afghanistan

BMUSONI — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 17:03:00 +0000

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As a follow-up to a visit earlier in the year to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee on 28 November 2017 held an informal meeting on the country’s priority technical assistance needs. With support of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the aim of the meeting was to mobilize support for the Committee’s efforts to facilitate counter-terrorism related capacity-building activities for Afghanistan.

It was on 31 January and 1 February 2017 that CTED, on behalf of the Committee, conducted a country visit to Afghanistan to monitor the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005), and 2178 (2014). The visit resulted in a report that details information CTED gathered on the progress of the implementation and good practices of the Afghan government. The report, which was approved by the Counter-Terrorism Committee in October 2017, provides recommendations on ways to strengthen the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, and identifies priority areas for related technical assistance needs. The agreement of the Government of Afghanistan to make the report available to donors and potential implementing partners paved the way for the meeting, which enabled an open dialogue between donors, UN entities, and potential implementing partners around current challenges Afghanistan faces in countering terrorism, including foreign terrorist fighters and returnees.

As Mr. Arian Sharifi, Director of Strategic threat assessments, National Security Council of Afghanistan, stated in his presentation, terrorism is not a national issue, but rather a regional and global threat that requires cooperation at all levels and across generations. H.E. Ambassador Mahmoud Saikal, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United Nations, underscored the importance of cooperation, and called for regional cooperation and awareness of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) to ensure effective implementation of the resolution and other relevant resolutions. Member States applauded the Government of Afghanistan for sharing the report, expressed their support for the work of CTED, and commended the cooperation between CTED and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT).

Front Page Article:

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

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

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Counter-Terrorism Committee holds informal meeting on priority technical assistance needs of Afghanistan

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