UNRCCA
UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia
UNRCCA
UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia

Counter-Terrorism

IMPLEMENTING THE UN GLOBAL COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY IN CENTRAL ASIA

In 2010-2011, the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) of the United Nations and the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), with financial support from the EU and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, implemented a project to assist the Central Asian States in devising a regional plan of action to implement the four pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The project culminated in the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) for implementing the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy in Central by four Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in Ashgabat in November 2011 together with a Joint Ashgabat Declaration at a High Level Meeting held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in November 2011.

The JPoA was prepared on the basis of a one-year consultative process during which three expert meetings were held to review the four pillars of the Strategy, identify opportunities, gaps and needs, and draw recommendations to devise a joint plan of action. The process brought together approximately 60 expert representatives not only of CA countries, regional and international organizations, but also neighboring ones as well as international partners. These expert meetings for Implementing the Global UN Counter Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia included:

• First Expert meeting on Implementing Pillars I and IV, Bratislava, Slovakia, 15-16 December 2010;

• Second Expert Meeting on Implementing Pillar II, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 29-30 March 2011;

• Third Excerpt Meeting on implementing Pillar III, Almaty, Kazakhstan 21-22 July 2011.

∙ High-Level Meeting for the adoption of the JPoA, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 30 November 2011.

A second phase of the Project was launched in September 2013 to support the Central Asian countries in the realization of the initiatives identified in JPoA for Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia. The three-year project of the CTITF and the UNRCCA is being implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the Government of Norway.

The Phase II of the Project has been designed for implementation of the JPoA through a series of capacity building workshops on its different pillars. These included:

TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY IN CENTRAL ASIA

In June 2017, a High-Level Dialogue in Ashgabat gathered leaders of Central Asian States to review what has been achieved in their joint efforts in implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (UNGCTS) (A/RES/60/288) in Central Asia, known as the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA). More importantly, the Dialogue provided leaders an opportunity to discuss the emerging counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism challenges faced by the region and to forge the path ahead.

In order to assist Central Asian countries to adequately respond to emerging challenges of fighting terrorism and preventing violent extremism in the region, as well as to provide continued and coordinated UN System support to the regional countries in implementing the JPoA, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT) - United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) and the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy (UNRCCA) have decided to jointly develop Phase III of the project.

Phase III will cover three years. Activities under Phase III will be based on the common priority areas identified through the 2017 High Level Dialogue and the General Assembly resolution 70/291, adopted during the fifth review of the UN GCTS in July 2016, recommendations received during the previous phases, as well as from consultations with Central Asian officials.

The project main activities will include supporting Central Asian countries in their development of national and regional CT/PVE strategies upon their request, providing capacity-building assistance to the Central Asian counties in the priority areas of concern in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism, exchanging best practices in preventing violent extremism in light of the priority areas highlighted in the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism which find resonance in Central Asia, and cooperating and coordinating with regional and international organization in their efforts of combating terrorism in the region.

As with the previous two phases, phase III of this project will be jointly implemented by UNCCT and UNRCCA in Ashgabat, in partnership with the Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), CTITF entities and regional organizations including CARICC, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EU, INTERPOL, NATO, OIC, OSCE, ODIHR, SCO-RATS and SCO.

The Third phase of the Project officially was launched during a High-Level Meeting in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 30 April 2018.

UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia

The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) is mandated to support Central Asian countries in addressing regional challenges through conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and political stability.