Head of the Office of Counter-Terrorism: Central Asia is the only region in the world having a plan on countering terrorism and violent extremism
Under-Secretary-General of the Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov highly appreciated the counterterrorist approach of the five Central Asian countries in his interview, published by UN News on the eve of first-ever global conference of national counter-terrorism chiefs, to be held on 28-29 June in New York. According to Voronkov, Central Asia is one of the priorities in the work of the Office and if the matter is the creation of resistance of society to various ideas, then very effective result can be shown just in this region. - First, a regional approach to these issues has been set in the region, i.e. there is a regional action plan to counter terrorism and violent extremism. This is the only region in the world where there is such a plan. Therefore, the Central Asian five work together, - said the diplomat. - Secondly, and this is a common problem for all five nations, returning fighters-terrorists, and therefore the response from these countries should be absolutely identical and coordinated, - he added. Voronkov also mentioned the high-level forum on "Countering terrorism and violent extremism" hosted in May in Dushanbe with the participation of almost 50 countries and various international organizations. - The conference showed that the leadership of these countries pays very serious attention to this topic and supports very actively the work of the UN in this area. I think this is a prerequisite for successful work, - said the head of the Office of Counter-Terrorism. The regional Joint Action Plan (JPoA) for the implementation of the Global UN Counter Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia was adopted in November in Ashgabat. The JPoA is now entering its third phase, entitled “Towards a Comprehensive Implementation of United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia”. This project, being implemented jointly by the UNRCCA and the UN Counter-Terrorism Center, has a broader scope and consists of capacity-building activities in common priority areas that were identified in Ashgabat a year ago during the High-Level Dialogue on counterterrorism. The next phase of the JPoA provides for a set of preventive measures against terrorist threats in the region, with a particular focus on the exchange of information and best practices, as well as regional partnerships. The new initiative will mainstream human rights in its implementation. The UN counterterrorist office, established last year by the General Assembly resolution, is called upon to play the role of the main coordinator in the implementation of the global counterterrorist agenda. This structure realizes about 300 various projects in three regions of the world, despite the fact that the management staff is relatively small – only 50 people. All of these projects, for example, are aimed at improving aviation security, supporting victims of terrorism, creating jobs for young people, helping various agencies to act effectively.
