ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan

In July 2023, the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), in close partnership with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), held a series of national consultations on the Counter-Terrorism Early Warning Network for Central Asia. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss substantial and operational issues of the Early Warning Network with the aim to intensify and to systematize exchange of information and to coordinate the work of different national and regional counterparts related to Afghanistan. Using the opportunity, participants also analyzed the latest developments in Afghanistan and identified possible focus areas for the Early Warning Network.  

In total 150 people, representing state institutions, civil society organizations, independent experts and academia attended the consultations in all the capitals of the Central Asian states. Apart from the country representatives, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 1267/1989/2253 and 1988 Sanctions Committees of the UN Security Council the Anti-Terrorism Centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS ATC), the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union Border Management Programme in Central Asia (EU BOMCA), and other UN entities and regional partners participated in discussions.

These consultations, supported by the United Nations Peace and Development Fund (UNPDF), were organized under the joint UNOCT/UNRCCA project “Towards a Comprehensive Implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia – Phase IV” and based on the Joint Plan of Action for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia.