New York, January 26 (QNA) - The State of Qatar expressed its pride in providing financial support for Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Committee (CT Compact) secretariat and seed funding for projects implemented through its working groups, as well as its Coordination Platform launched in 2020 as a digital gateway for fostering efficient and inclusive partnerships and collaboration its entities and member States.

This was stated in the State of Qatar's speech delivered by HE Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, at the 10th meeting of the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee, in the presence of HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Vladimir Voronkov, at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Her Excellency emphasized the timely focus of this year's meeting, given the increasing importance of Africa in the global scene of terrorism and counter-terrorism. She stressed the need for the coordination agreement to focus on the unique challenges and opportunities on the continent.

Her Excellency highlighted the importance of identifying emerging challenges and vulnerabilities in responding to them and the possible areas of action. She stated that based on this, governments, regional organizations, civil society, and the UN system must take concrete and coordinated measures to address these challenges.

HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, clarified that the UNOCT has taken significant steps to support African countries in enhancing their counter-terrorism capabilities by establishing offices and programs in Kenya and Morocco.

Her Excellency added that the global programs, activities, and projects implemented by the UNOCT and its partners in the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, a significant portion of which is funded by Qatar, play a crucial role in African countries.

Her Excellency pointed out Qatar's participation in hosting the launch of the Joint Appeal for Counterterrorism in Africa during the Counterterrorism Week in June last year, which aims to support multi-stakeholder initiatives to provide comprehensive and innovative responses to complex priority challenges across Africa.

In this regard, Her Excellency added that Qatar's support includes technical assistance in various African countries, as well as initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of violent extremism through opportunities in education, employment, and training programs implemented by Qatari institutions such as 'Silatech' and 'Education Above All'.

Her Excellency emphasized that Qatar will participate later this year, in collaboration with Morocco, in organizing the second annual forum for beneficiaries of technical assistance, which aims to assess the effectiveness of technical assistance and capacity-building provided by the UNOCT and counter-terrorism entities. She added that the forum will focus extensively on Africa and the progress made by Joint Appeal initiatives.

Her Excellency stressed the importance of aligning the activities of the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact with the upcoming Joint Programme of Work to be aligned with the periodic review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. She highlighted the value of continuing to enhance partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including governments, regional organizations, civil society organizations, and of course, the UN system.

In conclusion, Her Excellency expressed her appreciation for the UNOCT and the members of the Global CT Compact for their efforts and dedication to these vital endeavors. (QNA)