Forum: Global cooperation key to eliminating scourge of terrorism

Abu Dhabi: The UAE leads the international effort to fight terrorism through the establishment of a centre to address the drivers and root causes of violent extremism, said officials and experts attending a meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum yesterday.

"Establishing an international centre in Abu Dhabi for building capacity, sharing best practices and research to fight violent extremism shows the UAE's leadership in exploring ways to address the root causes of violent extremism," said Reha Keskintepe, director-general for research and security affairs at the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Keskintepe said the think-tank, which will be fully financed by the UAE, will be a venue for building capacity, sharing best practices from all over the world and research to fight violent extremism.

Security officials and experts attending the inaugural meeting of the working group on the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism stressed the think-tank will have no security, intelligence or operation capacity. The meeting opened in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, announced the UAE's willingness to host the centre at the launch of the Global Counterterrorism Forum in September.

Calling the initiative "very remarkable and unique", Christian Lungarotti, head of the economic section and deputy head of the Italian mission in the UAE, said the initiative to address violent extremism could not be more timely.

"Sharing knowledge and effort to fight terrorism is a step in the right direction," said Lungarotti, adding his country will support the initiative through the European Union.

Addressing the opening session of the forum, Fares Al Mazroui, assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Defence Affairs, said the international community has neither come up with a system to dissuade individuals from extremism and terrorism, nor has it determined good practices to push them away from radicalisation.

Cooperation

Al Mazroui stressed the need for concerted global cooperation in countering violent extremism to minimise recruitment of terrorists and counter the spread of violent extremism.

"The UAE will remain committed to cooperate with the Global Counterterrorism Forum to lead the international effort to find innovative ways to address drivers of violent extremism," Al Mazroui said.

He added the centre is planned to be launched in October at a meeting of the five steering committees on counter violent extremism from 10 countries.

The Global Counterterrorism Forum was launched officially in New York at the level of foreign ministers on the margins of the UN General Assembly meetings in September. Co-chaired by the US and Turkey, the forum is intended to ensure the necessary international architecture is in place to address 21st century challenges.

Composition of group

Fares Al Mazroui, assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Defence Affairs, said the Global Counterterrorism Forum consists of a strategic-level Coordinating Committee, co-chaired by the US and Turkey and five thematic and regional expert-driven working groups.

Working groups focus on the countering violent extremism; criminal justice sector and rule of law; capacity building in the Sahel; capacity building in The Horn Region; and capacity building in Southeast Asia.

"Relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations, regional and sub-regional bodies, and non-government experts, are invited to participate in the working group activities.

The GCTF serves as a mechanism for furthering the implementation of the universally-agreed UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and, more broadly, complement and reinforce existing multilateral CT efforts, starting with those of the United Nations.

The founding members of the forum are: Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the UAE, the UK and the US.