GENEVA, (Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2019) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU to cement their cooperation in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
The signing took place at the House of Parliaments in Geneva between the executive heads of the organisations: Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General; Vladimir Voronkov,UNOCT Under-Secretary-General; and Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director.
The ceremony was attended by Michael Moller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, and Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council (FNC) and Chair of the IPU’s High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism (HLAG).
The memorandum will provide a framework for cooperation between the IPU and the UN to promote the role of parliaments in addressing terrorism and conditions conducive to terrorism, contributing to the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Following its signing, Al Qubaisi said that the memorandum is part of the ongoing work of the HLAG, of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, and supports the UAE’s official and parliamentary efforts to combat terrorism and extremism.
She stated that the agreement aims to strengthen the role of parliaments in countering terrorism and extremism, as well as the cooperation between the three parties and their support for parliaments.
She noted that the agreement’s goals are to launch joint activities, create joint plans, provide financial support to implement required programmes, support national parliaments, and promote regional and international parliamentary cooperation in countering terrorism and violent extremism, through dialogue and regular meetings between the IPU, the UNODC, and the UNOCT, with the aim of implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, as well as the IPU’s Strategy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism to Strengthen International Security and Peace.
She also noted potential areas for cooperation, such as holding a global parliamentary summit on countering terrorism and extremism to build a deeper international understanding of the two issues, creating an international parliamentary database of legislation and laws related to countering terrorism, establishing an electronic platform for exchanging expertise in countering terrorism and extremism, improving the knowledge of parliamentarians, and adopting innovative and pro-active approaches to combatting terrorism by predicting and countering its intellectual, organisational and operational sources.
She then stressed the importance of spreading successful international practices related to countering extremism and supporting the joint role of organisations and governments in combatting terrorism and extremism.
At the event, the IPU Secretary General also signed the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact to further reinforce links between the organisations.
Since 2017, the IPU, UNODC and UNOCT have implemented the five-year Joint Programme on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism to help parliaments implement IPU resolutions, international conventions, protocols and UN Security Council resolutions related to terrorism.
The Joint Programme also facilitates cooperation among parliaments through sharing good practices and lessons learned as well as providing parliaments with the necessary technical assistance and dedicated tools.
The IPU already works with the UN on several issues including the Sustainable Development Goals, gender, human rights, and peace and security.
