Terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Countering this threat requires collective efforts at national, regional and international level. In this spirit, the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) signed today a Framework on Counter-Terrorism strengthening the EU-UN partnership in this area, on the occasion of their second EU-UN high-level political dialogue on Counter-Terrorism held in New York.

“The second Leader’s Dialogue on Counter-Terrorism promoted a new spirit of practical collaboration aimed at strengthening multilateral coordination efforts in countering terrorism and preventing and countering of violent extremism, so as to have more impact on the ground,” said Mr. Voronkov, the Head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.

The Framework for UN-EU cooperation on countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism promotes cooperation on capacity building to counter terrorism and prevent and counter violent extremism (PCVE) in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as support to the development of national and regional PCVE action plans promoting youth engagement and gender perspectives. It also addresses support to victims of terrorism and the evolving threat of foreign terrorist fighters through the establishment of Advanced Passenger Information/Passenger Name Records (API/PNR) systems and guidelines on rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorism offenders.

“Effectively countering and preventing terrorism is and remains a shared priority for the European Union and the United Nations. Through a joint, effective, multilateral response, we will step up our cooperation to improve the safety of citizens in Europe and around the globe, while strengthening the respect for human rights and the rule of law,” said Mr. Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary General for the Common Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service.

Today's discussions during the EU-UN high-level political dialogue reflected the priorities laid out in the Framework, focusing on areas of common concern such as border security management, countering the financing of terrorism and terrorist narratives and supporting victims of terrorism. Issues related to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), including women and children, were discussed and regional engagement efforts in the Middle East, North Africa, the Sahel, and Central and South-East Asia reviewed.

The Dialogue was co-convened by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and Mr. Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary General for the Common Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service, with the participation of Mr. Gilles de Kerchove, European Union Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, and representatives from the European Commission. Mr. Voronkov led a delegation of representatives of 22 UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities, including CTED, the Office of the Special Advisor for Africa, UNODA, OHCHR, UNDP, UNODC, and UNESCO, among others