Within the framework of the Programme on Strengthening the legal regime against terrorism in Iraq, the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB) held a workshop to carry out the final review of Iraq's counter-terrorism draft law at the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna from 12-14 October 2016.
The workshop built upon the recommendations put forward during the initial workshop on the review of the draft law which took place from 26-28 April 2016 and focused on refining the latest version of the draft law which was drafted in light of the aforementioned recommendations. The final changes suggested reposed on the ambition of having the counter-terrorism law be as compliant as possible with international norms and Iraq's ratification of additional universal legal instruments against terrorism.
The workshop brought together three senior Iraqi officials, including the Iraqi Deputy Minister of Interior, the Director General of the Counter-Terrorism Commission, and a legal advisor from the Iraqi National Security Advisory, as well as experts from the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and UNODC/TPB.
The workshop comprised extensive discussions on the different changes to be considered, along with in-depth analysis of the draft law and an exchange of best practices and the recommendations to be reflected in the final version of the draft law. In addition, and in cooperation with the expert from CTED, these additional recommendations were drafted by UNODC/TPB's experts and shared promptly upon the workshop's completion with the Iraqi Government to guide them in refining the final version prior to submitting it to the Parliament for endorsement.
The Iraqi delegation expressed its gratitude for UNODC/TPB's efforts and stressed the excellent cooperation between Iraq and the Branch all while thanking the Government of Japan for its generous support.
