The Fifth Regional Conference of the Counter-Terrorism Early Warning Network for Central Asia (CT EWN) took place in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan from 13 to 16 October 2025. It was organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through its United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), and the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), with the support of the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF),
The event brought together more than 50 representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, along with regional and international organizations. These included the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Anti-Terrorism Centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS ATC), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS), the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) and INTERPOL among others.
The conference provided an opportunity to exchange insights on the latest trends related to the impact of the situation in Afghanistan on security in Central Asia, cross-border cooperation, and good practices in the use of early warning systems for countering terrorism.
Discussions covered a broad range of topics, including border security, the financing of terrorism, the current humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, research and data analysis, as well as the responsible application of emerging technologies—such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)—for early prevention efforts.
Representatives of the People’s Republic of China and senior UNOCT and UNRCCA officials emphasized that CT EWN plays a vital role in building mutual trust in Central Asia, enhancing preparedness, and fostering a coordinated regional response to evolving security challenges.
One of participant noted, “this initiative provides us with highly valuable insights and serves as a strong example of good practice. CT EWN platform demonstrates a model that could be effectively replicated in other regions.”
The event is part of the collaboration between UNOCT and UNRCCA to support regional efforts to prevent terrorism and violent extremism in line with the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its Joint Plan of Action for Central Asia.
