Strengthening Partnerships between Regional Organizations: United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Retreat
The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact hosted its first-ever Annual Retreat on 25 June 2025 in New York. This event was held under the theme “Strengthening Partnerships between Regional Organizations and the UN Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact through Policy Interventions and Capacity Building.”
The Retreat aimed to enhance counter-terrorism coordination, capacity-building, and foster sustainable collaboration in counter- terrorism efforts by strengthening partnerships that reflect regional priorities. It generated insights and recommendations to support locally driven solutions to combat terrorism and violent extremism, while also informing a forward-looking action plan for engagement with regional organizations.
The Retreat featured a high-level segment featuring key representatives from regional organizations and Member States, followed by two thematic sessions.
Thematic Session I
Understanding Capacity Building Challenges at the regional level: West Africa, East Africa, Gulf Cooperation Region and Central Asia
This session assessed the capacity-building needs of regional organizations and Member States across West and East Africa, the Gulf Cooperation region, and Central Asia. It addressed key challenges, identified opportunities for technical assistance, and explored ways to enhance collaboration through the Counter-Terrorism Compact. Participants highlighted best practices, and formulated actionable recommendations to ensure regional ownership and strong human rights commitments. It also showcased successful capacity-building models; promotion of civil society inclusion; strengthening of regional cooperation through monitoring and evaluation and support to sustainable UN-backed CT/PCVE frameworks.
Thematic Session II
A discussion on UN coordination priorities while engaging regional organizations - the role of Counter-Terrorism Compact Working Groups
This session focused on strengthening coordination between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations and Counter-Terrorism Compact Working Groups. It contributed to the implementation of Action 23(c) of the Pact for the Future and aligned with broader UN strategies to improve efficiency and avoid duplication.
Key priorities included institutionalizing joint planning, and shared data systems, involving regional partners in consultations and programme co-design; enhancing transparency and real-time initiative mapping; and establishing regional focal points supported by rotating coordination meetings to improve field-level synergy.
Outcomes and Next Steps
A summary report will be produced, capturing key discussions, recommendations and outcomes of the Retreat, with the aim of ensuring clear follow-up actions to reinforce strategic collaboration and guide future engagement.
Background
Launched by the Secretary-General in 2018, the Counter-Terrorism Compact stands as the largest coordination framework within the United Nations system, with 46 UN and non-UN entities as members or observers.
Statements
Opening session:
- Mr. Rafi Shah, Chief, Policy, Knowledge Management and Coordination Branch, and Head of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Secretariat, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism
- Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General, UNOCT
- Ms. Natalia Gherman, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED)
- H.E. Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador and Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to the United Nations
- H.E. Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the African Union (AU) to the United Nations
- H.E. Mr. Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz, Ambassador and Permanent Observer for the League of Arab States (LAS) to the United Nations
- H.E. Mr. Hameed Ajibaiye Opeloyeru, Ambassador and Permanent Observer for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the United Nations
- H.E. Mr. Khalid Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Ba Omar, Ambassador and Permanent Observer for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) to the United Nations
- Mr. Arman Mukhamejanov, Senior Expert, Executive Committee of Regional Anti-Terrorist 神马午夜福利网 of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO-RATS)
- H.E. Ms. Zsuzsanna Horváth, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations
- H.E. Mr. Ulugbek Lapasov, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Nations
- Ms. Carolyn Abena Anima Oppong-Ntiri, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations
Thematic Session I: Understanding Capacity-Building Challenges at the regional level: West Africa, East Africa, Gulf Cooperation region and Central Asia:
- Ms. Ghada Hatim Eltahir Mudawi, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kuwait
- Mr. Oleg Mikhailov, Political Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
- Ms. Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, Chief of Office of the Under-Secretary-General, UNOCT, and Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Compact Working Group on Resource Mobilization, Monitoring & Evaluation (RMME WG)
- Mr. Seif El-Dawla, Chief of Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East Section, CTED, and Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Compact Working Group on National and Regional Counter-Terrorism Strategies (NARS WG)
- Ms. Guadalupe Megre, Officer in Charge, Special Projects & Innovation Branch (SPIB), UNOCT
- Ms. Anne-Marie Seesmaa, Legal Officer, Law Enforcement and Border Management, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) - on behalf of the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement relating to Counter-Terrorism (BMLE WG)
- Ms. Nirina Kiplagat, Regional Coordinator of Governance and Peacebuilding, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Compact Working Group on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism (PCVE WG)
- Ms. Svetlana Martynova, Senior Legal Officer, Coordinator on countering the financing of terrorism; Vice-Chair of the Compact's Working on Criminal Justice, Legal Responses, and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CJLR-CFT WG)
- Mr. Odhran McCarthy, Liaison Officer, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)
- Ms. Camille Scotto De Cesar, INTERPOL, Chair of ETCIP WG
Thematic Session II: A discussion on UN coordination priorities while engaging regional organizations: the role of Counter-Terrorism Compact Working Groups:
- Ms. Katya Palazzolo, Head of External Affairs, Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF)
- Ms. Bridget Usifo Osakwe, National Network Coordinator, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Nigeria
- Mr. Rio Hada, Chief, Equality, Development and Rule of Law Section, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- Mr. Ben Saul, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism
- Ms. Elisabeth Neugebauer, Team Leader, Counter-Terrorism Compact Team, UNOCT