The UNOCT Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism with the support of the Shura Council of the State of Qatar, and in collaboration with the current Chair of the Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism – the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) and the Italian Parliament organize the 6th Meeting of the co-ordination mechanism for parliamentary assemblies on counter-terrorism. It takes place in Rome, Italy, on 6 December 2024, at the Italian Parliament.

      I.         BACKGROUND

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism was established with the support of the Shura Council of the State of Qatar in November 2020, and officially launched in June 2021.

The Programme Office in partnership with international and regional parliamentary assemblies, and in collaboration with other UN entities and international organizations, is implementing the Global Programme on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism. The Programme seeks to: i) support and build the capacity of parliamentarians worldwide in their efforts to counter terrorism; ii) enhance parliamentary contribution to the development, implementation and oversight of counter-terrorism legislation, policies, and strategies; iii) support parliaments to fill the gaps in the implementation of international legal norms, principles and instruments related to counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism; iv) support parliaments in promoting a balanced implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

As a result of the “First Counter-Terrorism Co-ordination Meeting of Parliamentary Assemblies”, that was held on 13 December 2021, in Doha, UNOCT and participating parliamentary assemblies agreed to establish a Co-ordination Mechanism for Parliamentary Assemblies to improve co-ordination and enhance collaboration among parliamentary assemblies on counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism (CT&PVE).

The Second Counter-Terrorism Co-ordination Meeting of Parliamentary Assemblies was held on 10 June 2022, in Naples, Italy. The participating parliamentary assemblies reviewed and adopted the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Co-ordination Mechanism, as well as elected the first Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) was elected to preside over the Mechanism for the first year with OSCE PA Vice President and Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, Mr. Reinhold Lopatka, as the first President.

The Third Co-ordination Meeting, held in Doha, State of Qatar, on 30 January 2023, addressed several key topics, including gender mainstreaming in counter-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism. The Fourth Co-ordination Meeting, which took place on 4 October 2023 in Vienna, Republic of Austria, primarily focused on counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel region. The meeting concluded with the re-election of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) as the Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism, and Honourable Reinhold Lopatka (OSCE PA) was re-elected as Chair of the Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism for another term of one year.

The Fifth Coordination Meeting of Parliamentary Assemblies was held back-to-back with the Third Parliamentary Policy Dialogue on 8-9 May 2024, in Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye. During this meeting, the UNOCT Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement officially launched the Parliamentary Handbook on UN Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001).

In consultation with the participants of the Co-ordination Mechanism and in co-ordination with the current Chair of the Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism (OSCE PA), it has been proposed to hold the next, Sixth Co-ordination Meeting of Parliamentary Assemblies (hereafter referred to as the “Meeting of the Co-ordination Mechanism”) on 6 December 2024, back-to-back with the Fourth Parliamentary Policy Dialogue, which will take place on 5 December 2024, in Rome, Italy.

   II.         OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Sixth Meeting of Co-ordination Mechanism are to:

• Discuss ongoing regional terrorism and violent extremism trends;
• Review the pertinent initiatives implemented by parliamentary assemblies, including in co-operation with UNOCT, and discuss the challenges that parliamentary assemblies encounter in their CT/PVE work;
• Share workplans for 2025, discuss the general calendar of activities of participants of the Co-ordination Mechanism, and explore potential joint initiatives in 2025;
• Engage in the thematic discussion on the Nexus of between Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism;
• Elect a new Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism and nominate a new Chair.

III.         AGENDA

09:00 – 09:40 Welcoming Remarks:

• Simonetta Matone, Member of the Judicial Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Italian Parliament - former magistrate;
• Paolo Formentini, Vice-Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Italian Parliament [virtual] (TBC);
• Kamil Aydin, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - Chair of the Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism for Parliamentary Assemblies;
• E. Mr. Issa bin Arar Al-Rumaihi, Member of the Shura Council of the State of Qatar;
• Mr. David Alamos, Chief, Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism

09:45 – 11:00 SESSION I Regional trends

Moderated by Mr. Marco Bonabello, Senior Adviser, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

Presentations by:

• Reinhold Lopatka, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - Member of the European Parliament and Head of the Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula (10 minutes);
• Ashraf Abdel Aziz, Political Advisor to the President of the Arab Parliament - Director of the Arab Centre for Counter Terrorism and Extremist Ideology (10 minutes);
• Mr. Serge Stroobants, Director of Europe and the MENA region for the Institute for Economics and Peace (10 minutes).

Interventions by Parliamentary Assemblies on regional trends and emerging threats (3 minutes);

Q&A / Open discussion

11:30 – 13:00 SESSION II Thematic discussion on the Nexus between Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism

Moderated by Mr. David Alamos, Chief, Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.

Presentations by:

• Eugenio Zoffili, Special Representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on Combating Organized Crime - Head of the Italian Delegation to the OSCE PA (7-10 minutes);
• Riccardo Perisi, Director of the Service for Combatting Extremism and External Terrorism, Italian Ministry of Interior (7-10 minutes);
• Nathalie Goulet, Member of the Senate of France, author of the book “The ABCs of Terrorist Financing” (7-10 minutes);
• Ms. Fanny Fert, Programme Management Officer, UNOCT Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Use of Weapons  (7-10 minutes);
• Ms. France Lemeunier, Head of the UNOCT Countering the Financing of Terrorism Unit [virtual] (7-10 minutes);

Interventions by Parliamentary Assemblies (3 minutes).

Q&A / Open discussion

14:30 – 16:00 SESSION III Implemented and planned activities

Moderated by Hon Dr. Reinhold Lopatka, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - Member of the European Parliament and Head of the Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula

• Interventions by Parliamentary Assemblies:
  Review of recent engagement, implemented and planned activities by Parliamentary Assemblies towards countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism (CT/PVE) related issues in the current year and plans for the next year (3-5 minutes);

• Brief update on the UNOCT Parliamentary Engagement Programme:
  i) results of the online survey on the key priority areas, challenges and needs; ii) activities implemented on the platform of the Co-ordination Mechanism and initiatives planned for 2025 (3-5 minutes);

Q&A / Open discussion

16:00 – 16:45 SESSION IV Revision of the Terms of References of the Co-ordination Mechanism & Election of Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism

Moderated by Honourable Mr. Kamil Aydin, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - Chair of the Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism for Parliamentary Assemblies

• Review of the Terms of References of the Co-ordination Mechanism and discussion on a [required/recommended] procedure for parliamentary assemblies to join the Mechanism;
• Key priority areas and points of improvement/development of the Co-ordination Mechanism (3 minutes);
• Presentation by the Parliamentary Assembly nominated to preside the Co-ordination Mechanism (Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean) (5 minutes);
• Election of the new Presidency of the Co-ordination Mechanism.

16:45– 17:00 Closing Remarks:

• Chair of the Co-ordination Mechanism for Parliamentary Assemblies;
• David Alamos, Chief, Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.
• Giulio Centemero, Member of the Italian Parliament, Head of the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean [virtual];
• Hon. Emanuele Loperfido, Vice-Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

IV.         PARTICIPANTS

The Meeting of the Co-ordination Mechanism is expected to be attended by the representatives of the following Parliamentary Assemblies:

Current participants of the Co-ordination Mechanism

1. Arab Parliament (AP);
2. Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (Arab IPU);
3. African Parliamentary Union (APU);
4. Andean Parliament;
5. Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA);
6. ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA);
7. Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF);
8. Parlement de la Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale (CEMAC);
9. Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO PA);
10. European Parliament (EP);
11. Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS);
12. Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS);
13. Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA);
14. Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC);
15. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE);
16. Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM);
17. Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO);
18. Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Member States (PUIC);
19. Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF);
20. Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA).

Other relevant parliamentary assemblies that work on CT&PVE-related issues will also be invited to take part in the Co-ordination Meeting and join the Co-ordination Mechanism.

It is expected that the Coordination Meeting will also be attended by representatives of the UN entities, including the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and other relevant international organizations.