Reinhold Lopatka (center) accepts the re-election of the OSCE PA as President of the Co-ordination Mechanism of Parliamentary Assemblies, Vienna, 4 October 2023VIENNA, 4 October 2023 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was re-elected today to lead the Co-ordination Mechanism of Parliamentary Assemblies on Counter-Terrorism for one more year. Having held the presidency since 2022, the OSCE PA will continue to co-ordinate the counter-terrorism work of 16 assemblies around the world with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, thereby promoting the exchange of relevant regional experiences and ensuring greater parliamentary co-operation within the international community.
Speaking at the Fourth Counter-Terrorism Co-ordination Meeting of Parliamentary Assemblies in Vienna, Chair of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism (CCT) Reinhold Lopatka (Austria) thanked his parliamentary colleagues for the trust they have placed in OSCE PA. “I want to assure you that I will continue to support a holistic and integrated approach among our 16 assemblies, with a special focus on counter-terrorism in the Sahel region, the role of youth in preventing radicalization, and the interplay between artificial intelligence and violent extremism. The goal is to further expand our platform with new members,” Lopatka said.
Several other OSCE parliamentarians, including OSCE PA President Pia Kauma (Finland), are also actively contributing to the Co-ordination Meeting this week, as well as to the Second Parliamentary Policy Dialogue on Prevention and Countering of Violent Extremism also taking place in Vienna. Others taking part in the two Vienna meetings include Vice-Chair of the CCT Kamil Aydin (Türkiye), CCT member Paula Cardoso (Portugal), CCT member Emanuele Loperfido (Italy), Chair of the OSCE PA Network of Young Parliamentarians David Stögmüller (Austria), and Federica Onori (Italy), a member of the Network of Young Parliamentarians.
“Over the years,” President Kauma said, “we have been monitoring trends in our region, learning from experts about new challenges and sharing important lessons learned with our colleagues with the aim to promote policy convergence among our 57 states.” She added that the CCT has developed innovative policy guidance on several key topics, including foreign terrorist fighters, victims of terrorism and, most recently, the terroristic nature of the Wagner Group.
Kauma stressed that the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine continues to dominate the security agenda and the work of the OSCE PA, underlining that one of the many tragic results of this war is a heightened threat of terrorism. “With the unprecedented security crisis that the war has caused, new terrorism-related threats have emerged in the OSCE region,” Kauma said, noting that in 2022 more than 98 percent of terrorism deaths took place in countries in conflict.
During the two events, OSCE PA Members have the opportunity to exchange views with their peers from across the globe and with renowned experts from international organizations such as the United Nations and the OSCE, with a view to better understand the latest security developments in regions particularly affected by terrorism such as the Sahel, further explore the impact of new technologies such as generative artificial intelligence on national and international counter-terrorism efforts, and discuss the critical role of youth in preventing terrorism and violent extremism.
“While disenfranchised youth are more vulnerable to radicalization and recruitment by violent extremists, young people can become agents of positive change if empowered with the appropriate tools,” concluded the Chair of the OSCE PA Network of Young Parliamentarians David Stögmüller (Austria).
The next Co-ordination Meeting, which will take place next to a Parliamentary Youth Forum, is tentatively scheduled for January/February 2024.
For more on the work of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, please click here.
