PRESS RELEASE: First Declaration of cooperation between Prosecutors General from Europe and the Mediterranean countries on international judicial matters

AKHVEDELID — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 06:24:00 +0000

(Madrid, 23 January 2018) Today, Prosecutors General from Europe and Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, and Tunisia) signed an agreement aimed at improving their international judicial cooperation. The signing of the first Declaration of collaboration in the two regions took place under the impetus of a programme financed by the European Commission for cooperation between the countries of Europe and the Mediterranean, EuroMed Justice. A partner of EuroMed since the very beginning, the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) assisted in the drafting of the declaration as part of its efforts to actively promote cross-regional cooperation.

Managed by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the project brought together in Madrid the Prosecutors General of the countries participating in the First EuroMediterranean Forum of Prosecutors General. Promoted by the Spanish Prosecutor General’s Office, the forum was well received and welcomed by the Prosecutors General from the participating countries. The forum allowed the Prosecutors General to share experiences and best practices on issues related to the fight against terrorism and organised crime, including human and drug trafficking, and cybercrime. The forum also approved the Roadmap for the consolidation of a EuroMediterranean Prosecutors General Network.

“The creation of the EuroMed Forum of Prosecutors General is an excellent cross-regional platform to build trust, confidence, and mutual understanding at the highest levels. These are all crucial components of effective judicial cooperation in counter-terrorism,” said Anton du Plessis, Senior Legal Officer and Legal and Criminal Justice Coordinator with UN CTED.

“As Prosecutors General of our States and as defenders of the rights of citizens, we are obliged to improve our cooperation to better respond to transnational crimes,” said the State Prosecutor General of Spain.

The Director of the FIIAPP, Pedro Flores, emphasized that “EuroMed Justice is an excellent example of the relevance of this type of programmes in the field of European cooperation, of the commitment to horizontal relationships between peers, and of how we can jointly face our shared challenges.

In his speech, the Prosecutor General declared the EuroMed Prosecutors General Forum to be a platform for dialogue, coordination, and consultation to increase mutual trust between the countries, and for promoting the participation of the Mediterranean countries in cross-border and regional judicial cooperation.

EuroMed Justice IV

This project will promote the sharing of good practices between European partners. These will include the practices of European judicial networks for the exchange of information or the application of new collaboration techniques such as so-called joint investigation teams, which are coordinated from Eurojust in order to combat the most complex crimes in an effective way.

Project Director Victoria Palau, explains: “Judicial cooperation is essential because of problems such as terrorism, cybercrime, or human trafficking that, if not resolved at a regional level, are impossible to combat.”

The project will last three years and is the continuation of work that has been undertaken since 2004 under the EuroMed Justice programme. Its objective is to achieve efficient, effective, and democratic judicial systems.

The project has three key focal points in promoting criminal and civil judicial cooperation, namely matters relating to families, improving access to justice, and judicial independence. These issues directly affect the lives of European citizens and the Mediterranean countries.

The project will last three years and have European funding to the tune of 4.2 million euros. It is the fourth phase of the EuroMed programme, which has continuously counted on the support of the State Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Justice, and the General Council of the Judiciary.

For more information and interviews related to FIIAPP, please contact:

+34-91 591 51 06/ 683 542 508.

For additional information related to UN CTED, please contact:

Mattias Sundholm at +1-917-628-3531.

Front Page Article:

Under pressure militarily, Da’esh encourages sympathizers outside conflict zones to perpetrate attacks, according to new report from the UN Secretary-General

BMUSONI — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 20:02:00 +0000

feltman_sc_7_february_2017.jpg

Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefs the Security Council meeting on Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts Fourth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat

As ISIL is militarily on the defensive in several regions, the terrorist organization that is also known as Da’esh continues to encourage its sympathizers outside conflict zones to perpetrate attacks. And despite shrinking revenue streams, the group still has sufficient funds to carry on fighting. These are among the key points from the Secretary-General’s 4^th report on The threat posed by ISIL/Da’esh to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat.

Published on 2 February 2017, the report (S/2017/97) was submitted as a follow-up to Security Council resolution 2253 (2015), which requests the Secretary-General to submit updates every four months on the threat that ISIL represents to the international community and the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations.

“ISIL is adapting in several ways to military pressure – resorting to increasingly covert communication and recruitment methods, including by using the ‘dark web,’ encryption and messengers,”

– noted Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman during his briefing to the Security Council on 7 February 2017.

Focusing on Europe, North Africa, and West Africa, the report notes that Europe has experienced range of terrorist attacks since 2014, with some of these attacks directed and facilitated by ISIL or through its assistance and propaganda. While the military offensive in Libya has dislodged ISIL from its stronghold Sirte, the group’s threat to Libya and neighbouring countries persists. The terrorist organizations’ fighters – estimated to range from several hundred to 3,000 – have moved to other parts of the country. ISIL’s presence in West Africa and the Maghreb has grown, though it does not control significant amounts of territory in the region. Finally, ISIL-affiliate Boko Haram is attempting to spread its influence and commit terrorist acts beyond Nigeria, thus remaining a serious threat – despite being plagued by financial difficulties and an internal power struggle, which has led to its split into two factions.

The report highlights the importance of international cooperation and information sharing, referring to Security Council resolution 2322 (2016), which calls upon Member States to establish laws and mechanisms to allow for the broadest possible international cooperation in the judicial and law enforcement spheres. S/2017/97 stresses that information sharing and cooperation on addressing terrorist attacks have improved, leading to a curtailing of the travel of foreign terrorist fighters between States in Europe. Maghreb and West Africa also show improvements in this area.

The report was prepared with the input of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), in close collaboration with the Monitoring Team of the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, as well as other relevant United Nations actors and international organizations.

Front Page Article:

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

PRESS RELEASE: First Declaration of cooperation between Prosecutors General from Europe and the Mediterranean countries on international judicial matters

Under pressure militarily, Da’esh encourages sympathizers outside conflict zones to perpetrate attacks, according to new report from the UN Secretary-General

feltman_sc_7_february_2017.jpg