29 June 2018 - Heads of counter-terrorism agencies around the world gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 28 and 29 June to strengthen efforts to tackle the scourge of terrorism.
Convened by the United Nations Secretary-General under the theme of "strengthening international cooperation to combat the evolving threat of terrorism", the high-level conference aims to forge a new partnership for multilateral cooperation to strengthen the international community's counter-terrorism efforts.
Speaking at the high-level event, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said: "we need to do more to support all countries to undertake rule of law-based investigations and prosecutions, and ensure that national counter-terrorism measures are in line with international human rights norms and standards." He also conveyed UNODC's full support to the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact.
On the second day, the Conference held a thematic session on "Strengthening the role and capacity of the United Nations to support Member States to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy", co-chaired by Mr. Fedotov along with Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the Office of Counter-Terrorism; Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; and Fang Liu, Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The Session focused on the engagement with civil society, prioritization of the capacity building and technical assistance to Member States, and the streamlining of the roles and responsibilities of United Nations entities dealing with counter-terrorism.
"Concerted action and cooperation between Member States is needed to better mitigate risks. This includes improving mechanisms for information sharing, as well as coordination and collaboration between criminal justice and border security authorities," the UNODC Chief underlined.
On the sidelines of the Conference, UNODC organized an event on "Countering the Phenomenon of Foreign Terrorist Fighters: Combined Efforts of Police and Justice". The panel brought together representatives of Member States and international organizations, focusing on administrative, legal and operational challenges related to the phenomenon.
At the event, Mr. Fedotov presented a number of joint initiatives, reiterating UNODC's commitment to continue strengthening technical assistance to Member States.
UNODC's work on terrorism prevention
High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States
