New York, December 10 (QNA) - The State of Qatar and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) held the third strategic dialogue via a video conference.
Undersecretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov chaired the UNOCT side, while HE Director of the International Cooperation Department and Chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior chaired the Qatari side.
HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, HE Director of Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yousef bin Sultan Laram and President of Qatar International Academy for Security Studies Dr. Majed Al Ansari.
The dialogue reviewed the progress made in counter-terrorism cooperation between the UNOCT and the State of Qatar since the last Strategic Dialogue held on Dec.15, 2019.
The status of ongoing programs, projects and activities funded by the State of Qatar, the second leading donor to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism, was also assessed.
The two sides reaffirmed their strong partnership on counter-terrorism, exchanged views on strategic priorities for the coming year and discussed opportunities to further deepen and expand cooperation going forward.
Maj. Gen. Al Ansari thanked the UNOCT for its continued efforts in providing leadership on the counter-terrorism mandates entrusted by the General Assembly, facilitating coordination and coherence of the UN's counter-terrorism efforts through the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, and delivering capacity-building assistance to the member states across the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
For his part, Voronkov thanked Qatar for its strong political and financial support, which has contributed extensively to the Office's ability to execute its core functions in an effective and sustainable manner.
Through participation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact's partners, the dialogue provided an opportunity to discuss broader cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations in providing technical services and capacity building at the entire United Nations level. Among them is assistance to Member States and other beneficiaries to prevent and combat terrorism within the framework of the Anti-Terrorism Charter and the working groups of the international organization.
The two parties expressed their commitment to continue cooperation in implementing major programs, including combating terrorist travel, supporting terrorism victims, sports security and the promotion of its values as a tool to prevent extremism.
The strategic dialogue highlighted the successful launch of the International Hub on Behavioral Insights to Counter Terrorism on Dec. 7, 2020 and the establishment of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Program Office, which is concerned with parliamentary engagement as key milestones in global efforts to prevent and combat violent extremism and terrorism.
The strategic dialogue was attended by Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Wali, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Michele Coninsx and Assistant Administrator and Director of the Crisis Response Unit, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asako Okai. (QNA)