On 15 April 2021, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organizations for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) jointly organized the virtual International Parliamentary Conference on the Global Challenges and Threats in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Terrorism and Violent Extremism.
The Conference is the third event of a series starting in in 2017. The event represents an expanded platform for interparliamentary dialogue and policy exchange on strategic aspects of the counter-terrorism agenda. The conference, chaired by H.E. Valentina Matvienko (IPA CIS), gathered hundreds of participants from national and international parliaments, the United Nations, national security services, international organizations, academia, and other key actors in the international community.
In her keynote address during the high-level opening session, Senator Alia Bouran, PAM President Emeritus, highlighted the urgent problem of ISIL survivors detained in Syria and Iraq; terrorist recidivism; the resurgence of terrorist activities across Africa, particularly in the Sahel; the exploitation of children by terrorist groups; the growing concern over the use of technology for terrorist purposes; and the connection between terrorism and transnational organized crime.
PAM and OSCE PA co-facilitated a session entitled: “Assessing the terrorist threat and efforts to prevent violent extremism,” within the framework of the conference. The session promoted a common awareness of emerging terrorism trends and to assess ongoing international efforts to prevent all aspects of violent extremism.
Hon. Gennaro Migliore, chair of the PAM Special Parliamentary Committee on Counterterrorism, briefed the audience on the outcomes of the recent PAM-UNOCT meeting on “Assessing the Challenges of the Post-territorial ISIL Context”. He urged parliamentarians to continue engaging in meaningful discussions at the national level to explore viable options to address the status of their nationals, held in former ISIL territories. He stressed the need to assess the efficacy of de-radicalization initiatives, while recognizing the successful models by sharing best practices. Hon. Migliore also underlined the need to resolve the root causes of violence and instability in affected parts of Africa. These include the persistent lack of economic development, environmental degradation, absence of opportunities for youth, weapons proliferation, the exploitation of local conflicts by global terrorist actors, governance vacuums, and the lack of confidence in state institutions.
The debate was very dynamic, and included interventions from delegates from France, Italy, Austria, UAE, Cyprus, Russia, Turkey, Syria, Armenia, Romania, Azerbaijan, and Tunisia, among others. Delegates exchanged national perspectives on counterterrorism priorities and their respective efforts to prevent violent extremism. There was a consensus that international cooperation is absolutely essential to address the transnational nature of the terrorism threat.
By co-organizing this event PAM continues to lead at the forefront of global discussions aimed at reinforcing the key role of parliaments in the fight against terrorism, and to create synergies among all the key actors in implementing the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy.