New York, USA, 19-23 June 2023 – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) contributed to the Third UN High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States. The conference, convened under the theme “Addressing Terrorism through Reinvigorated Multilateralism and Institutional Cooperation”, was organized by the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism (UNOCT) at the UNHQ in New York.
The Assembly was represented by Amb. Jean-Paul Laborde, PAM Roving Ambassador and Senior Advisor on Counterterrorism and Cybersecurity, and Amb. Shaukat Fareed, PAM Permanent Observer at the United Nations in New York.
More than 1000 delegates attended the event, which provided a platform for Member States, United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector to strengthen cooperation on key counterterrorism priorities. Namely, the increasing presence of terrorist and mercenary groups in some regions of Africa, especially the Sahel, and in conflict zones across the globe; human rights and gender-responsive counter-terrorism approaches, and the complex issue of repatriation.
António Guterres, UN Secretary General, opened the meeting calling for global unity in the fight against terrorism, which presents an increasingly diffuse, dynamic and destabilizing threat. “Year after year, terrorism has chipped away at the bulwarks we’ve built up over the decades” he warned “but as this conference reminds us, when it comes to combatting terrorism, we must stand as one against this global threat”.
Amb. Laborde intervened during Session dedicated to Building Effective and Resilient Member States’ Institutions in the Evolving Global Terrorism Landscape.
In his address, he stressed the excellent partnership that PAM has established with the UN Secretariat, and major agencies and organizations, which makes the Assembly a key platform for parliamentary engagement on counterterrorism in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf areas, and beyond.
In addition, he called on an increase engagement among international stakeholders and national and regional parliaments, to secure the active participation and contribution of parliamentarians to international fora dedicated to counterterrorism.
On the margins of the event, Amb. Laborde and Amb. Fareed held a productive meeting with Ms. Nathalia Gherman, Executive Director of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), in which they explored and agreed on further ways to implement joint projects between PAM and CTED.
The High-Level Conference was part of the 2023 UN Counter-Terrorism Week, which also included 40 thematic side-events. At the end of the CT Week, the UN General Assembly adopted the Eighth Biennial Review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS).
PAM will continue to follow the updates related to the threat posed by terrorism, especially the recent developments occurred in relation to activities of the Wagner Group, and remains committed to support the UN efforts to prevent and contrast terrorist activities.
The conclusions of the Third High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States, and the way ahead of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, are accessible at the link below: