On 26 February 2020, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) concluded its first visit to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea on behalf of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee.
Equatorial Guinea served as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from 2018 to 2019.
The visit was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. With the active participation of Government authorities, CTED focused its engagement on issues related to legal and criminal justice, terrorism financing and law enforcement. In all the discussions, CTED emphasized the importance of adopting human rights-compliant and gender-responsive measures to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
The team further benefited from the expertise of representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the Task force on Money Laundering in Central Africa (GABAC). The African Union Representative for Counter-Terrorism Cooperation also joined the delegation.
The delegation welcomed proactive measures taken by the authorities to align the national legal framework with the requirements of relevant Council resolutions and the international counter-terrorism instruments. CTED further identified areas in which additional efforts would be needed from the Equatoguinean authorities, as well as areas in which Equatorial Guinea would benefit from dedicated technical assistance to better align its response to the applicable international counter-terrorism requirements.
During the three-day visit, the delegation visited the Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia Financiera (ANIF) [financial intelligence unit] and the recently-established forensic laboratory in Malabo. The head of the delegation also met with the President of the Camara de Diputados [Lower Chamber] of the Equatoguinean Parliament, as well as with members of the Parliamentary Committee on National Defense and Security.
The delegation also benefited from the timely assistance of the United Nations Country Team in Equatorial Guinea, held a meeting with representatives from civil society and the private sector, as well as a discussion with representatives from the diplomatic community present in Malabo.