Credit:  UN /

DIPLOMATIC TIMES STAFF

The United Nations and the European Union (EU) have signed a joint framework aimed at strengthening partnership in counter-terrorism efforts. The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism said in a statement that the framework was enacted on the occasion of the second EU-UN high-level political dialogue on Counter-Terrorism that was held in New York. According to the statement, the UN-EU initiative will focus on terrorism and violent extremism prevention in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as support victims and promote the reintegration of terrorism offenders.

“Effectively countering and preventing terrorism is and remains a shared priority for the European Union and the United Nations. Through a joint, effective, multilateral response, we will step up our cooperation to improve the safety of citizens in Europe and around the globe, while strengthening the respect for human rights and the rule of law,”

-Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary General for the Common Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service.   

The Framework for UN-EU cooperation on countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism promotes cooperation on capacity building to counter terrorism and prevent and counter violent extremism (PCVE) in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as support to the development of national and regional PCVE action plans promoting youth engagement and gender perspectives. It also addresses support to victims of terrorism and the evolving threat of foreign terrorist fighters through the establishment of Advanced Passenger Information/Passenger Name Records (API/PNR) systems and guidelines on rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorism offenders.

The discussions during the EU-UN high-level political dialogue reflected the priorities laid out in the Framework, focusing on areas of common concern such as border security management, countering the financing of terrorism and terrorist narratives and supporting victims of terrorism, according to a statement from Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.  Issues related to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), including women and children, were discussed and regional engagement efforts in the Middle East, North Africa, the Sahel, and Central and South-East Asia reviewed.

The Dialogue was co-convened by Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary General for the Common Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service, with the participation of Gilles de Kerchove, European Union Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, and representatives from the European Commission. Mr. Voronkov led a delegation of representatives of 22 UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities, including CTED, the Office of the Special Advisor for Africa, UNODA, OHCHR, UNDP, UNODC, and UNESCO, among others