BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -

The UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) in cooperation with The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and the European Union (EU) launched a new project to step up efforts to combat terrorism in Central Asia.

The project consists of a series of expert meetings, the first one of which was held on 15-16 December in Bratislava, Slovakia. The two-day event focused on Pillars I and IV of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, namely measures to address conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and steps to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law as the fundamental basis of the fight against terrorism. The UN Strategy was adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in 2006.

The Bratislava meeting provided an opportunity for representatives of Central Asian states, neighboring countries, international and regional organizations, and counter-terrorism experts to build consensus on common approaches and solutions to enhance cooperation and international partnership against the terrorist threat.

The objective of the project is to support the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to design a joint counter-terrorism Action Plan in line with the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.