*Shura Council, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism sign agreement
Qatar, represented by the Shura Council, and the United Nations, represented by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), has signed an agreement to establish the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Programme Office, which is concerned with parliamentary engagement in preventing and combating terrorism.
The UNOCT Programme Office will be headquartered in Qatar, and its activities will cover the parliaments of the world.
The agreement was signed on Wednesday by HE the Speaker of the Shura Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud and the UN Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Vladimir Voronkov, in the presence of HE Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, via video conferencing.
Commenting on the occasion, HE Speaker of the Shura Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud said this is a "historic day" when the Shura Council signed exchange letters between Qatar and the United Nations, represented by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, to establish the UNOCT Program Office which is concerned with parliamentary engagement in preventing and combating terrorism, to be headquartered in the State of Qatar and its activities cover the parliaments of the world.
The two sides also signed the parties' contribution agreement to establish the Office.
HE the Speaker of the Shura Council underlined that this important event, which comes at a time when the international community commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, represents another building block in building a lasting and fruitful cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, and a recognition by the United Nations and the international community of the wisdom of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his sound policy in the field of countering terrorism in all its types and eliminating its causes.
HE the Speaker of the Shura Council said that opening this office in Doha sends a clear message to the international community that the State of Qatar is on the right track in all its anti-terrorism initiatives, and that it is exerting every effort to promote the engagement of parliamentarians from all over the world in the noble tasks to save humanity from the scourge of terrorism and the violence that leads to it, and to establish a safe, stable and prosperous international community governed by law and prevailed by cooperation.
HE Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud welcomed the establishment of the UNOCT Program Office in the State of Qatar, pledging to provide all capabilities to enable the office to perform its duties to the fullest.
He said that the establishment of this office represents an important qualitative leap in the endeavors of the international community, given the great role of parliaments in light of their legislative, political and social weight, and their strong and direct influence on all issues of concern to the peoples of the world, especially the issue of combating terrorism.
His Excellency indicated that the tasks of this office are focused on conducting research and analysis and carrying out normative work in support of preventing and combating terrorism and violent extremism, including monitoring the enactment of new legislation in all parts of the world; helping to formulate legislation, policies and model strategies for combating terrorism led by parliaments; and providing technical assistance and legal and advisory services to parliaments to facilitate implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and terrorism-related Security Council resolutions.
He added that the office will work with the executive management of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee to identify parliaments' needs for technical assistance to establish and manage parliamentary committees that address terrorism and violent extremism, strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and international parliamentary cooperation, in addition to supporting the creation and operation of a global parliamentary network, the creation and maintenance of a web-based platform, and the production of multimedia materials for parliamentarians.
HE the Speaker of the Shura Council looked forward for humanity to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, for the world to restore its normal activity, and for the State of Qatar to cooperate with the United Nations to launch fruitful initiatives that have positive effects in the fight against terrorism.
