DOHA, 28 March 2022 – At an event today organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and the State of Qatar, Austrian parliamentarian Reinhold Lopatka, Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism (CCT) and OSCE PA Vice-President, highlighted the PA’s work in strengthening international co-ordination in counter-terrorism matters.
Speaking on the first day of the Annual Forum of Beneficiaries of Technical Assistance in Doha, Lopatka discussed opportunities and challenges in building counter-terrorism capacity, with a particular focus on the role of parliamentarians.
“The work of Parliamentary Assemblies such as the OSCE PA is critical,” he said. “We gather around them to build trust, share lessons learned and promote policy convergence among our respective countries.”
In his remarks, Vice-President Lopatka highlighted the importance of developing a joint multi-year work plant with UNOCT, with several common projects intended to bring a lasting parliamentary contribution. This will include the organization of timely capacity building and awareness raising events for parliamentarians and their staff on issues of common interest, Lopatka said, such as the role of victims and FTFs, development of innovative policy guidance in terrorism prevention online for example, and strengthening the full implementation of the international legal CT framework through parliamentary oversight initiatives on border security and countering terrorism financing.
The Annual Forum of Beneficiaries of Technical Assistance brings together recipients and providers of technical assistance to discuss and assess the results-based performance and progress of UNOCT programmes, projects and activities to improve programme design, implementation and impact, as well as providing opportunity for beneficiary countries to update on their counter-terrorism priorities and seek further technical and capacity-building assistance.
While in Doha, Lopatka will also attend the High-Level Parliamentary Conference on Understanding the terrorist threat in Africa convened by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism on the 30 and 31 March. This conference will discuss the new challenges and necessary measures presented by the terrorist threat in the African region.
Along with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Arab Parliament, the Parliament of OIC Member States, the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States and the South African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, Lopatka will discuss the role of parliamentarians in countering terrorism and violent extremism. Lopatka is highlighting, in particular, the OSCE PA CCT’s efforts to promote global and regional counter terrorism efforts, drawing on the recently published Model Legislative Provisions for Victims of Terrorism, as well as the Web Dialogue on the Clean Energy Revolution and its Implications for the OSCE Region.
Other participants included H. E. Sheik Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ali Houmed, President of the African Parliamentary Union and H.E. Mr. Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
