±¬ÁÏÍø

On 2 July, the Second ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT Quarterly Briefing to Member States of 2024 convened, featuring discussions on:

1. The global terrorism threat landscape, including: i) The threat posed by Al-Qaida, Da¡¯esh and their affiliates to international peace and security, especially in conflict zones, ii) the situation in West Africa and the Sahel, with increased civilian casualties and continued instability caused by the presence and activities of terrorist groups; iii) Southern Africa facing terror-related security challenges due to the presence of terrorist groups in other parts of Africa; and iv) the growing adoption and adaptation of new technologies, such as unmanned aerial systems and cryptocurrency by terrorist groups for fundraising.
2. Regional and thematic priorities, including: i) Implementing and supporting the key outcomes of the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting, organized by the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the support of ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT in April 2024 in Abuja, and the Abuja Process; ii) Coordinating efforts to fight terrorism among the SADC Member States through the recently launched of the Southern African Development Community Regional Counter Terrorism Centre (SADC RCTC) and SADC¡¯s Counter Terrorism Forum; iii) Sharing intelligence, best practices and enhancing regional and international counter-terrorism cooperation; iv) Institutionalizing efforts of Central Asian countries to repatriate and reintegrate returnees by the Regional Expert Council for the Repatriation and Reintegration of Returnees from Conflict Zones in Central Asia; v) Preventing terrorism based on xenophobia, racism, or other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief (XRIRB); vi) Countering chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism, vii) the importance of human rights-based initiatives, leveraging data, new technologies, and innovative approaches, and amplifying the voices of women and youth, to address evolving terrorist threats; and viii) investing in women and youth-led initiatives, addressing hate speech, and advocacy for data-driven policies to prevent violent extremism.
3. Progress in the delivery of ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT¡¯s mandate, including: i) progress in the implementation of ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT¡¯s global technical assistance and capacity-building programmes; ii) contributing to the preparations for the September 2024 Summit of the Future; iii) preparations for the United Nations International Conference on Victims of Terrorism; iv) strengthened engagement with CTED, and with the ±¬ÁÏÍø System in the field; v) 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; vi) strengthened counter-terrorism coordination through the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact and its user-restricted digital platform; vii) enhanced regional partnerships and engaging with civil society organizations, and viii) programme evaluation and resource mobilization efforts.

Some 200 representatives from Member States, regional organizations and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities participated in the meeting.

Remarks were delivered by:

• Mr. Mauro Miedico, Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (±¬ÁÏÍøOCT)
• Mr. Weixiong Chen, Deputy Executive Director, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED)
• Mr. Syndoph Paebi Endoni, Charg¨¦ d¡¯affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations
• Colonel Mumbi Mulenga, Coordinator, Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Counter-Terrorism Center (RCTC), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Mr. Eldor Aripov, Director, Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS)
• Mr. Justin Hustwitt, Coordinator, Al-Qaida Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team
• Ms. Delphine Schantz, Director of the New York Office, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (±¬ÁÏÍøODC)
• Mr. Rio Hada, Chief, Equality, Development, and Rule of Law Section (OHCHR)
• Ms. Iman Sayed Taha, Policy Specialist, Peace and Security Section, ±¬ÁÏÍø Women
• Mr. Gregory Hinds, Director, Counter-Terrorism, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)
• Mr. Arz El Murr, Senior Financial Sector Expert, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Ms. Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, Chief, Office of the Under-Secretary-General, ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT
• Mr. Steven Siqueira, Deputy Director, United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT
• Ms. Guadalupe Megre, Officer-in-Charge, Special Projects, and Innovation Branch, ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT
• Ms. Tamara Anderson, Chief, Knowledge Management and Strategic Support Section, Policy, Knowledge Management and Coordination Branch, ±¬ÁÏÍøOCT