On 28 February 2022 the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) held first in this year’s series of roundtables with civil society organizations (CSOs).
The 2022 Roundtable Series seeks to ensure systematic, coherent, and structured engagement with CSOs so that we can deliver a stronger, more cohesive, age- and gender-sensitive responses to the ever-evolving terrorist threat. In line with UNOCT’s Civil Society Engagement Strategy launched in January 2020, the Roundtable Series brings together diverse civil society actors from around the world to discuss specific topics and challenges related to terrorism, counter-terrorism, and the prevention and countering of violent extremism, providing a space for open discussion not only with UNOCT leadership but also novel engagement with programme managers.
The event was moderated by Dr. Raffi Gregorian, Deputy to the Under-Secretary General (DUSG) of UNOCT. He provided an overview of UNOCT priorities and upcoming activities, and discussed with CSO representatives the upcoming International High-Level Málaga Conference “For a future free from terrorism: Building resilience with civil society through the rule of law and human rights” (the “Málaga Conference”) to be held on 10 and 11 May in Spain, with side events taking place on 9 May. The Roundtable discussion provided valuable feedback on improved UN-CSO engagement, serving to promote a more effective and principled approach to UN counter-terrorism efforts.
The 2022 series includes three roundtables over the course of the year: following this session, the next will be held in June.