The UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee held an open briefing on Central Asia at the UN Headquarter on July 2, 2018, which considered the issues related to the implementation of the Security Council resolutions in countering terrorism by the states of the region.
The event was attended by the UN Security Council delegations of interested member states, leadership of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, representatives of the OSCE, the European Union, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, INTERPOL, and others.
Between 2009 and 2017, the Executive Directorate of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee conducted assessment visits to Uzbekistan (2009 and 2015), Kyrgyzstan (2012 and 2016), Kazakhstan (2016), Tajikistan (2017) and Turkmenistan (2017). Following these visits, it was noted that the Central Asian states took a number of important measures at the national level in countering terrorism and violent extremism. However, armed conflicts in the Middle East and related travels of foreign terrorist fighters to neighboring Afghanistan and their countries of origin, including the states of Central Asia, continue to pose security threats to the region. The situation is aggravated by trafficking in arms and drugs, which is one of the sources of financing of terrorism.
Briefing participants noted the openness and interest of the Central Asian states in cooperation with the UN agencies. The measures taken by the countries to counter terrorism and extremism are in line with international standards. The participants also welcomed the commitment of the Central Asian states to close interaction among themselves and with regional international organizations in countering terrorism and extremism.
As an example, UN Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov referred to the adoption in 2011, for the first time in the history of the Organization, of the Joint Action Plan for the Implementation of the Global UN Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, which Third Phase has been successfully implemented since April 2018.
The members of the Security Council have noted positively the preventive measures taken by the countries of the region to combat this scourge. In particular, they noted work with civil society, youth, women, the media, as well as respect for human rights, etc.
The open briefing highlighted the role of Kazakhstan, which was the first to contribute to the UN Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund as a voluntary contribution to the third phase of the project “Implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia" in order to better counteract terrorist threats.
In addition, a practical event was held in Astana in May 2018 attended by experts from Central Asian countries to address the causes and factors that contribute to the spread of violent extremism and terrorism in the region.
In its statement, the delegation of Kazakhstan noted that in March 2018 the government adopted the National State Program on Counteraction to Religious Extremism and Terrorism for 2018-2022, which is fully in line with the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
In order to achieve global goals, it was proposed to recognize terrorism as a global threat and to adhere to the binding nature of all UN resolutions and decisions aimed at combating violent extremism; to establish a legal framework for the exchange of information with international partners, in particular, with regards to requests for suspicious transaction data and tighter control of funding from the charitable funds to terrorist organizations, which requires monitoring of transaction thresholds for financial transactions; to improve the terrorist lists updating process and to strengthen measures to freeze assets at the supranational level, as well as to create a single (comprehensive) list of terrorist organizations, using the experience of the SCO and CSTO; to develop a single mechanism of action for the search, detention and extradition of persons involved in the commission of terrorist crimes.
