ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan

On 10 June, UNRCCA Preventive Diplomacy Academy welcomed United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Regional Coordination Officer who delivered a lecture about the United Nations prevention of violent extremism (PVE) and counter-terrorism efforts in Central Asia.

The first part of the lecture focused on the international legal framework for countering terrorism, including international conventions and protocols, as well as UN Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions. Special emphasis was placed on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (UNGCTS) and its four pillars, highlighting the importance of protecting human rights in all counter-terrorism measures.

While speaking about the UN counter-terrorism efforts in Central Asia, the speaker provided an overview of the Joint Plan of Action for the implementation of the UNGCTS in the region. The document, which reflects the fours pillars of the UNGCTS, was adopted by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in 2011. It addresses regional challenges and trends and serves as a strategic document for Central Asian Member States, various UN entities, international and regional organizations, active in this area.

The lecture highlighted the key role of youth in PVE and counter-terrorism related measures at the international, regional, and national levels.

The second part of the Session focused on various documents, publications and trainings that might interest PDA students. In particular, they were encouraged to enroll to the e-learning training course on human-rights and counter-terrorism in Central Asia developed by UNRCCA, UNOCT and UNITAR.