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United Arab Emirates

Keynote Address by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of UNOCT

Under-Secretary-General of UNOCT Vladimir Voronkov (second from the left) participates in the Joint United Nations – United Arab Emirates Regional Conference for the Arab League Countries on Empowering Youth and Promoting Tolerance: Practical Approaches to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism. Photo: UNOCT.

"I hope this Conference provides a platform to identify ways and opportunities to strengthen cooperation among Arab League Member States and explore how we, at the United Nations, can further support you in empowering youth and promoting tolerance as a part of your prevention efforts."

-- Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov in remarks at the Joint United Nations – United Arab Emirates Regional Conference.

Empowering Youth and Promoting Tolerance: Practical Approaches to Countering Terrorist Radicalization and Terrorism

The joint United Arab Emirates-UNOCT-Hedayah Regional High-Level Conference on “Empowering Youth and Promoting Tolerance: Practical Approaches to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism” will be held in Abu Dhabi on December 18-19, 2019.

The conference will provide an opportunity to discuss initiatives and action plans to strengthen resilience against radicalization leading to terrorism, with a focus on youth empowerment and tolerance at the national and regional levels.

It will bring together over 300 representatives from League of Arab States countries, including several from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe, as well as civil society organizations, youth representatives, religious and interfaith actors, and leading think tanks to exchange views and share experiences from the Middle East and North Africa region.

Conference sessions

The Conference will have three main sessions:

  • High-Level Panel on Empowering Youth for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism (PCVE)
  • High-Level Panel on Promoting Tolerance for PCVE
  • Youth Circle on “Enhancing partnerships between governments, youth, community and religious actors to promote the values of tolerance and strengthen resilience to terrorist narratives.”

 

In addition, a one-day workshop led by regional and international civil society organizations will be held on December 17. This workshop will enable grassroots actors to exchange views on the conference’s agenda, with a focus on youth, community engagement, empowerment, and resilience. The substance of their discussions will feed into the larger regional conference.

Background of the conference

This conference is the sixth in a series of regional conferences to be held around the UN High-Level Conference for Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States, which was first convened in New York in June 2018 by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to strengthen international cooperation to combat the evolving threat of terrorism. The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism is partnering with Member States in different regions to co-organize these conferences, which aim to strengthen regional counterterror cooperation and prevent violent extremism conducive to terrorism.

Documents 

 

UNOCT UAE Regional Conference

 

Regional conferences

UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

The UN General Assembly adopted by consensus the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy on 8 September 2006. The strategy is a unique global instrument to enhance national, regional and international efforts to counter terrorism. The General Assembly reviews the Strategy every two years, making it a living document attuned to Member States’ counter-terrorism priorities.