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COPENHAGEN, 16 June 2021 – Reinhold Lopatka (Austria), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, spoke today at the opening ceremony of the UNOCT Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism in Doha, Qatar. Addressing the assembled representatives of the Qatari government and Vladimir Voronkov, Under Secretary General for Counter-Terrorism, Lopatka congratulated the UNOCT for opening the Doha office, noting that it represents an important step in the global fight against terrorism.

By leveraging parliamentary assets such as policymaking and oversight, the international community can better develop an effective counter-terrorism strategy, Lopatka said.

“As elected officials, we are called to provide adequate answers to the threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism to our societies,” said Lopatka. “Such threats affect the security of our countries, the values underpinning our democracies, and the freedoms of our citizens. Therefore, adequately addressing terrorism and violent extremism requires multi-dimensional responses, as well as strong national and international collaboration.” Lopatka provided an overview of the PA’s counter-terrorism work, including the activities of the CCT, founded in 2017 to bring more focus to the Assembly’s efforts.

The establishment of Doha office is intended to foster collaboration with parliamentarians in the fight against terrorism, and is part of the UNOCT’s overall Programme on the Role of Parliaments in Addressing Terrorism and Violent Extremism Leading to Terrorism, which supports parliamentary action on counter-terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism through a whole-of-society approach.

In early 2020, the PA and the UNOCT signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the co-operation between the two organizations in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism.