DUSHANBE. October 19, 2022 /NIAT «Khovar»/.  The International High-Level Conference on “International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism and Prevent the Movement of Terrorists” has been commenced in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 18 October 2022.

The President of the Republic of Tajikistan, H.E. Mr. Emomali Rahmon, stressed that “taking into account the complex situation in the region, the Government of Tajikistan pays special attention to the continuous strengthening of the state border protection and takes necessary measures to prevent the movement of terrorist fighters, drug and arms trafficking and other transnational organized crimes”.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, said in a video message that transnational threats such as terrorism demand – by their very nature – coordinated solutions and multilateral cooperation. “And they require us to collectively look deeper to fully recognize and tackle the root causes and grievances that provide fertile ground for radicalisation,” he added.

“In recent years, cross-border and other security threats have become increasingly more complex, and challenges multiply at a dizzying pace. No state can tackle threats like transnational organized crime, trafficking in human beings, terrorism or drug-trafficking alone. Greater cooperation both at regional and international levels is imperative,” said OSCE Secretary General Ms. Helga Maria Schmid in her video message.

“Comprehensive and integrated border management is important to prevent and counter the threat of terrorism. To fight terrorism, a strong multilateral framework – with the United Nations at its core – remains essential. As a co-chair of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum, the EU will share its experience and approach, fully compliant with human rights law, humanitarian law, and refugee law,” stressed European Union High Representative of the for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr. Josep Borrell Fontelles.

“Countering and preventing terrorism is a complex task, but we can succeed if we work together. This Conference will help us to reflect on existing challenges, identify solutions, and chart a way forward to strengthen our cooperation to counter terrorism and prevent the cross-border movement of terrorists,” United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, Mr. Voronkov added.

The conference is aimed at promoting international cooperation to improve border and customs controls in order to prevent and detect the movement of terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, conventional ammunition and explosives, nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological weapons and materials.

The conference will further support the implementation of additional measures on border security and management, criminal justice, and information sharing in accordance with international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law.

The High-Level Opening Session is being attended in person by over 900 participants, including government ministers and other senior officials from the United Nations member states, international and regional organizations, experts and journalists.

This two-day conference is co-organized by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU), with the support of the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This Conference is part of the “Dushanbe Process” launched in May 2018, when the first High-Level International Conference of the process on «Countering Terrorism and Preventing Violent Extremism» (Dushanbe, 3-4 May 2018) was jointly convened in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, UN entities, the OSCE and the EU. The UNOCT High-Level Conference of the process on “International and Regional Cooperation on Countering Terrorism and its Financing Through Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime” was convened on 16-17 May 2019 in Dushanbe.