CTED concludes assessment visit to Belgium

AKHVEDELID — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 14:11:34 +0000

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Members of the visiting delegation with representatives of the Belgian Government.

On 3 June 2022, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), acting on behalf of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), completed its follow-up assessment visit to the Kingdom of Belgium. This follow-up visit was conducted in line with the ‘hybrid’ approach to assessment visits, approved by the CTC in light of restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and was aimed at assessing progress made by Belgium in implementing recommendations made by the CTC following its first visit to Belgium in January-February 2009, as well as measures introduced to implement Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014) and 2396 (2017) and other relevant Council resolutions.

The virtual component of this assessment was conducted between 19 October and 30 November 2021 and focused on terrorist threat assessment; legal and criminal justice; international legal cooperation; countering the financing of terrorism; countering violent extremism (CVE), and comprehensive counter-terrorism strategies.

The physical component of the assessment was conducted between 31 May and 3 June 2022, and focused on practical measures undertaken in the areas of law enforcement and border management, including aviation security measures. During the physical component, the visiting delegation conducted an on-site visit to Brussels International Airport. In accordance with Security Council resolution 2617 (2021), the delegation also met with multiple civil society organisations to discuss measures taken by Belgium in the area of counter-terrorism and CVE.

In line with the practice followed for the Committee’s previous visits, the human rights aspects of Belgium’s counter-terrorism measures and the roles of women in countering terrorism and violent extremism were raised during both the virtual and physical components of the assessment, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2242 (2015).

Across the two components of the assessment, the delegation was led by Mr. Ahmed Essmat Seif El-Dawla, CTED Chief of Section for Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, and also included CTED experts, as well as experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (UN Women); the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL); the World Customs Organization (WCO); the International Organization for Migration (IOM); and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

The Head of delegation noted that “the visiting delegation appreciated the cooperation and the constructive dialogue experts from CTED and participating United Nations, international and regional partners had with a wide range of interlocutors in Belgium, as well as the Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations in New York”.

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CTED conducts follow-up assessment visit to Georgia

AKHVEDELID — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 05:11:00 +0000

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Photo: Meeting between Georgian authorities and the visiting CTED delegation.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the State Security Service of Georgia.

The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), acting on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, conducted a visit to Georgia from 16 to 18 July 2018. This was in follow-up to the Committee’s initial visit of September 2007 and focused on progress made by Georgia in implementing the Committee’s 2007 visit recommendations, as well as on measures introduced to implement Security Council resolutions 1624 (2005), 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017), and other relevant Council resolutions.

The discussions concentrated in part on threats relating to the return and relocation of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) to Georgia.

Georgia stated that radicalization on its territory had fallen significantly since 2016, largely owing to measures introduced by the Government, including the delivery of awareness-raising and counter-messaging campaigns to potentially vulnerable population groups. Georgia was also among the first countries to explicitly criminalize FTF travel back in 2015.

The Government noted its awareness of other global terrorist threats, including the activities of small terrorist cells and lone actors, and the abuse of information and communications technologies (ICT) for terrorist recruitment and propaganda purposes.

Georgia cooperates actively with other Member States to prevent attacks and protect against possible threats.

Mr. Ahmed Seif El-Dawla, CTED Chief of Section, commended Georgia for its proactive engagement in dialogue with the United Nations and other international partners on countering terrorism. He also encouraged the Government to finalize the development of Georgia’s draft national comprehensive and integrated counter-terrorism strategy, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions.

The Deputy Head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) emphasized that countering the constantly evolving methods used by terrorists would require strengthened international cooperation, including joint operations and timely information exchange.

Under the auspices of SSSG, representatives of a wide variety of national ministries and agencies took part in the three-day discussions, reflecting Georgia’s cohesive approach to counter-terrorism. The visiting delegation also noted a number of effective mechanisms aimed at ensuring inter-agency cooperation.

With respect to measures aimed at countering violent extremism, CTED welcomed Georgia’s efforts to ensure comprehensive integration of ethnic minorities, refugees and asylum seekers, as well as other foreign or stateless persons.

The visiting delegation included CTED experts, as well as representatives of the Expert Group of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), the International Criminal Police Organization, the International Maritime Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and UN Women.

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

CTED concludes assessment visit to Belgium

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CTED conducts follow-up assessment visit to Georgia

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