2023 UNOCT Third Quarterly Briefing to Member States
During the Third UNOCT Quarterly Briefing to Member States of 2023, held on 11 December, some of the key points raised by speakers included:
- The global terrorism threat landscape, including: 1) The alarming threat posed by Al-Qaida and Da’esh in conflict zones and neighboring countries, including in some parts of Africa, where environmental crises, poverty, weak governance, and human rights abuses compound the threat of terrorism; 2) The significant threat presented by Da’esh in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria; 3) The increasingly diverse and fragmented nature of the terrorism threat landscape, including the rising global threat from terrorism based on xenophobia, racism, or other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief (XRIRB); 4) Increasing incidents of lone actors and self-radicalized individuals carrying out attacks; 5) Worrying trends related to the use of new technologies for terrorist purposes, including terrorism financing; and 6) The need for ongoing monitoring and analysis to understand emerging trends and threats in different regions.
- Regional and thematic priorities, including: 1)Tackling the changing dynamics of violent extremism in Africa, including through increased investments in peacebuilding; 2) Supporting requesting Member States to address the humanitarian and protection needs of their nationals returning from camps and detention centers in Iraq and northeast Syria while responding to accountability and security concerns; 3) Working towards meaningful accountability for sexual and gender-based violence linked to terrorism, 4) Preventing terrorism based on xenophobia, racism, or other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief (XRIRB) including through countering terrorist narratives and youth engagement; 5) Countering chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism, and 6) Combatting organized, emerging and transnational crime with a particular focus on the nexus with terrorism, including through facilitating more effective law enforcement cooperation between Member States.
- Progress in delivering on UNOCT’s mandate, including: 1) Preparations for the September 2024 Summit of the Future; 2) preparations for the African summit on counter-terrorism to be held under the auspices of the United Nations secretary-general and president of the federal republic of Nigeria in Abuja in April 2024 and ensuring that it leads to pragmatic, Africa-led outcomes with international support. 3) Contributions to reports on the threat posed by ISIL (Da'esh) and other reports related to counter-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism; 4) Strengthened engagement with CTED, and with the 缅北禁地System in the field; 5) Strengthened implementation of the Office-wide framework for human rights mainstreaming and due diligence tools and processes as well as the Civil Society Engagement Strategy and increased compliance with the Gender Mainstreaming Policy; and 6) Programme evaluation and resource mobilization efforts. For information on the progress made in the implementation of UNOCT's global technical and capacity-building assistance programmes, please see:
Remarks were delivered by:
- Mr. Raffi Gregorian, Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General and Director, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT)
- Ms. Natalia Gherman, Assistant-Secretary-General and Executive Director, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED)
- Mr. Justin Hustwitt, Coordinator, Al-Qaida Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team
- Ms. Delphine Schantz, Representative, New York Liaison Office, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
- Ms. Amita Gill, Head of Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institution, Crisis Bureau (CPPRI), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Ms. Catherine Colthart, Director, Counter-Terrorism, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)
- Ms. Tanya Mehra, Senior Fellow and Programme Lead for the Rule of Law Unit, International Center for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), The Hague, Netherlands
- Mr. Mauro Miedico, Director, United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center and Special Projects and Innovation Branch, UNOCT
- Mr. Senyo Agbohlah, Chief, Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations Section, Office of the Under-Secretary General, UNOCT
- Ms. Alice Mungwa, Chief, Regional Support Section, Policy, Knowledge Management and Coordination Branch, UNOCT
Useful Resources
Over 160 representatives of Member States and the 缅北禁地Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact participated in the meeting. The European Union, The State of Qatar, Togo, USA, ICAO, and 缅北禁地Women intervened from the floor. Various speakers expressed appreciation to Mr. Gregorian for his service to the UNOCT and the 缅北禁地as a whole.