New York - Information Office - February 10
The State of Qatar has renewed its commitment to strengthening the constructive and fruitful partnership with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), expressing aspiration to the 4th High-Level Strategic Dialogue with UNOCT with the participation of the relevant UN entities in Doha in March.
This came in a statement made by HE the State of Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani in the UNOCT Annual Briefing to the Member States on the steady progress of the Office's activities and a review of its ambitious agenda to expand the scope of its programs and assistance.
Her Excellency expressed the State of Qatar's support for many UNOCT initiatives and programs as a partner, especially as it fully or partially finances these programs, particularly the anti-terrorism travel program.
Also, HE the Ambassador referred to the importance of the global program for coordination mechanisms between agencies at the national level, known as "integration cells," which resulted in a set of good practices and guidelines, holding working group meetings and study visits, and produced national action plans, training manuals, and supporting courses, as well as creating a group of friends.
Her Excellency drew attention to the State of Qatar's partnership with UNOCT, which resulted in a set of topics of special interest to the State of Qatar, such as support for victims of terrorism, as well as topics in which the Qatari experience helps such as the Global Program on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets, which is implemented in partnership with the UNOCT and the Doha-based International Centre for Sport Security.
Her Excellency pointed out that despite the COVID-19 challenges, 2021 witnessed the convening of the UN Counter-Terrorism Week and the second high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies in the Member States, in which Qatar had high-level participation represented in the participation of HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
She said that the State of Qatar co-hosted several successful side events in partnership with the UNOCT, adding that 2021 saw the United Nations General Assembly adopt a major resolution on the seventh biennial review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
In line with the UNOCT campaign to enhance the regional presence, Her Excellency drew attention to Doha's hosting of two offices of the UNOCT, namely the International Center for Behavioral Insights to Combat Terrorism and the Global Program for Parliamentary Participation in Preventing and Combating Terrorism, stressing that the first center has already become a valuable resource for research, policy support, capacity building, and communication in its evolving field.
Her Excellency added that concerning the UNOCT strategic expectations in the coming year, it should be noted that it focuses on dealing with emerging challenges and threats due to the misuse of new technologies, such as information and communications technology and unmanned aerial systems. Some programs supported by the State of Qatar fall into this category, such as the "global counter-terrorism program for independent and remote systems," she added.
Furthermore, HE the Ambassador underlined the urgent need of great value to focus efforts on youth for any future strategic planning, expressing satisfaction with the support of the Youth Engagement and Empowerment Program.
Her Excellency commended the UNOCT strategic initiatives to address serious threats, such as the Global Program on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets, which produced five units on good international practices and held a series of specialized expert meetings with wide participation.
Her Excellency renewed Qatar's commitment to strengthening its fruitful partnership with the UNOCT, expressing aspiration to the 4th High-Level Strategic Dialogue with UNOCT with the participation of the relevant UN entities in Doha in March.
She noted that Doha hosts in March the first Annual Forum of Beneficiaries of Technical Assistance in recognition of the importance of results-based performance evaluation for programs and projects to improve their design, implementation, and alignment with the needs of beneficiary countries.