ALMATY, Kazakhstan –

Any involvement of regional organizations, and any coordination as proposed by UNRCCA, needs to be driven by according demands by Central Asian States.

This statement was made by Ambassador Miroslav Jenča, SRSG and Head of UNRCCA, when closing the Consultation Meeting with Regional Organizations on the Joint Plan of Action for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia.

On 21-22 June the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) jointly with the UN Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTITF) co-organize Consultation Meeting with the Regional Organizations in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The aim of the meeting is to determine the contribution of regional organizations to the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia.

In the course of this meeting, representatives of Central Asian states together with regional and international organizations will discuss tangible steps on how to put into practice the Joint Plan of Action that was adopted last year in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, at a High Level Ministerial meeting.

The preparation of the Joint Plan of Action was facilitated by a CTITF Project implemented by the UNRCCA and funded by the EU and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway. The project entailed three Expert Meetings, where sixty specialists developed tangible recommendations under each of the four pillars (segments) of the Joint Plan of Action. In Ashgabat, on 30 November 2011, the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action was supported by Central Asian states with Uzbekistan acting as observer, as well as senior representatives from ten other countries, including the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Norway, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey and the United States of America, as well as senior officials from the UN (CTITF Office, UNRCCA, UNODC, UNHCR, OHCHR, CTED and IAEA), and senior officials from the EU (EU External Affairs Services and EU Special Representative for Central Asia).

The Central Asian States recommended to use the Joint Plan of Action as an overarching framework for activities in the region and requested the support of regional and international organizations in building States’ capacity to implement the UN Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia. They also welcomed the proposal to create a formal network among regional and relevant international organizations mandated to support States in implementing the Counter-Terrorism Strategy through the Joint Plan of Action.

With full recognition of the clear linkages that exist between domestic challenges and cross-border or regional threats when it comes to the question of extremism and terrorism, regional organizations have a role to play in supporting their Member States in their efforts to prevent counter terrorism. The objective of the Consultation Meeting is to map out the contribution of regional organizations, their needs, strengths and experiences, in putting into practice the Joint Plan of Action for Central Asia in implementing the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia.  

The Regional Consultation is organized as a working meeting of representatives of Central Asian countries, representatives from the CTITF and UNRCCA (including the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA Mr. Miroslav Jenča), representatives of regional organizations (the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Centre (CARICC).

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