Director General/Executive Director
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished members of the committee,
Mr. Laborde,
Thank you for this opportunity to brief this forum on recent developments in the work of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in preventing and combating terrorism, and to discuss cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate (CTED).
Weak governance and weak criminal justice systems often go hand in hand with instability, crime and terrorism.
Effective and accessible criminal justice systems are therefore essential to guarantee the safety and security of countries and their citizens.
UNODC, through its Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB), has been engaged for more than 10 years with providing technical assistance to Member States, upon request, to strengthen the capacity of their criminal justice systems to prevent and combat terrorism.
We work to promote:
In the decade since TPB was established, legal technical assistance has been provided to 169 countries, resulting in some 638 new ratifications of the legal instruments, 113 new or revised pieces of counter-terrorism legislation, and more than 18,500 national criminal justice officials provided with enhanced counter-terrorism expertise.
In order to tailor this assistance to the specific requirements of each region, we rely on the inputs of our field presences in Latin America, North Africa, East and West Africa, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
Our field offices provide regional expertise, local knowledge and operational capacity to help develop country and regional programmes and implement UNODC's counter-terrorism activities on the ground.
To provide just a few examples of our work:
The increasingly complex nature of terrorism has triggered the need for UNODC to continue to develop specialized expertise in key areas of terrorism prevention.
We are currently providing technical assistance with:
In fact, UNODC is beginning the preparation of a set of best practices on assistance to and support for victims of terrorism, which will also address the role of victims in a criminal justice framework. We look forward to our further cooperation with CTC/CTED on this issue.
In all its activities UNODC puts a strong emphasis on cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations, as well as with UN/CTITF entities, and CTC/CTED, in particular.
With CTC/CTED, UNODC has a complementary and mutually supportive working relationship. CTC/CTED is in charge of monitoring implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) and facilitating technical assistance, and UNODC is in charge of delivering technical legal assistance and capacity building to Member States in relevant areas covered by resolution 1373.
CTC/CTED helps UNODC to ensure that capacity gaps and needs are accurately identified and that our Member States receive technical assistance tailored to their needs and requirements.
Most importantly, in their respective capacities, UNODC and CTED are cooperating in the implementation of five joint technical assistance projects, to which I would like to briefly refer:
By joining forces with CTED through our project on Building Effective Central Authorities for International Judicial Cooperation in Terrorism Cases, we hope to make a significant and long-term contribution and help Member States to designate such authorities.
Following the launch of this project in Colombia in February 2013 and the first regional workshop in Morocco last January, UNODC and CTC/CTED intend to further progress with the implementation of this programme in other regions, subject to availability of funds. I hope Member States will come forward to provide pledges for this important initiative.
The second project focuses on Strengthening the Capacity of Countries in South Asia to Support and Protect Victims and Witnesses in Terrorism Cases. We have started together with CTED a series of capacity building activities, both at the sub-regional and national level, for criminal justice and law enforcement officials.
Another major joint project with CTED, also in partnership with the EU, is a 4-year long initiative on Effective Counter-Terrorism Investigations and Prosecutions While Respecting Human Rights and the Rule of Law in the 5 Maghreb countries.
We also have a similar project focusing on South Asian countries.
Last, but not least, I would like to mention our joint project for Nigeria to strengthen criminal justice responses to terrorism with a series of specialized workshops.
I can only emphasize the high importance that UNODC, and I personally, attach to the fruitful working relationship with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate.
In this regard, I would like to stress that we are committed to further strengthening this mutually beneficial cooperation.
To this end, I have a few suggestions.
Firstly, the Committee may wish to consider ways UNODC and CTED could further strengthen the exchange of information, including on the results of needs assessments in Member States, and the programmes that are formulated and implemented in response.
The work of TPB and CTED is complementary and mutually reinforcing.
CTED has an in-depth understanding of the counter-terrorism challenges and gaps in each country and region. UNODC brings a wealth of legal technical assistance knowledge and expertise to those countries, as well as field-level implementation capacity.
By linking our efforts, we can ensure that Member States receive even more tailored and timely technical assistance.
Secondly, the Committee may wish to consider ways through which we could streamline cooperation when working with regional and sub-regional organizations.
In a time when we are all operating under financial constraints, it is important to approach our partners as "one UN", and we need to better capitalize on UNODC's extensive field presence and expertise, in the best interests of our Member States.
Finally, Security Council resolution 2129 (2013) extended CTED's mandate until end of 2017 to also include areas such as the use of internet for terrorist purposes and victims of terrorism.
I would suggest that in addition to our traditional areas of cooperation, we further explore the possibility of joint work in these areas. UNODC, with its expertise and knowledge in both fields, can positively contribute to CTC/CTED's work.
In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Member States present here today for the strong political and financial support that you have provided to UNODC throughout the years.
Thank you for your attention.