At a two-day meeting of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Working Group in Rome 10-11 March 2015, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) called for enhanced dialogue among humanitarian actors, donor States and other relevant actors on the development of effective counter-terrorism laws and policies that take into account humanitarian needs and operations.
“Counter-terrorism measures authorized by the Security Council are necessary and appropriate to safeguard the right to life and other fundamental human rights, and protect civilians from heinous crimes committed by terrorists and their organizations. Meanwhile, humanitarian relief operations and delivery are aimed at mitigating the suffering of the affected population and saving their lives,” Mr. Weixiong Chen, CTED Deputy Executive Director, stressed.
“CTED has a unique role to play in working with Member States and other partners, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in identifying and promoting counter-terrorism laws and measures that do not inhibit humanitarian access and assistance to populations in need,” Mr. Chen added.
The 88th meeting of the Working Group focused on ways to strengthen dialogue among counter-terrorism and humanitarian actors operating within and outside the United Nations (UN) system. The discussions were chaired by Ms. Kyung-wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Relief Coordinator, whereas Ms. Emma Bonino, former Foreign Minister of Italy, delivered the keynote speech.
The IASC is an inter-agency forum for coordination, policy development, and decision-making involving key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. It was established in June 1992 in response to General Assembly resolution 46/182 on the strengthening of humanitarian assistance.