On March 3-4, 2022, Tashkent hosted a high-level international conference on the topic: “Regional cooperation of Central Asian countries within the framework of the Joint Action Plan for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy”.
The conference, organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in partnership with the UN Counter-Terrorism Office and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has become a landmark event on a global scale.
It made a significant contribution to consolidating the efforts of the world community in the fight against terrorism, demonstrated the importance of multilateral cooperation with common challenges and threats to international peace and security, brought the interaction of the countries of the region in the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) in Central Asia to a qualitatively new level.
The scale and high level of the event, which was held in a hybrid format, was confirmed by a solid composition of participants – more than 500 guests, including foreign ministers of the Central Asian states, high-ranking officials of the UN, OSCE, UNRCCA, EU, SCO, CIS, Interpol, representatives of civil society and leading analytical centers of the countries of Central and South Asia, as well as heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Uzbekistan.
The inclusion in the agenda of all 4 pillars of the UN GCTS – elimination of conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, prevention and combating it, expanding the role of the UN and building states’ capacity in this area, ensuring human rights and the rule of law in the context of the fight against terrorism – determined the complex and the comprehensive nature of the conference programme.
The Tashkent Forum has become a practical implementation of the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2020. The head of state from the high rostrum of the UN proposed to sum up the results of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) on the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) in Central Asia, as well as to outline prospects for further cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Two important dates celebrated in 2021 made the event relevant – the 15th anniversary of the GCTS and the 10th anniversary of the JPoA. In 2006, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the only universal international document aimed at improving national policy, regional and international cooperation in countering terrorism.
In turn, in 2011 in Ashgabat, the Central Asian countries approved the Joint Action Plan for the implementation of the UN GCTS in Central Asia, which became the first framework program in international practice developed based on a regional approach for the implementation of the UN GCTS. Then Central Asia became the first region to start an integrated and comprehensive implementation of the UN GCTS.
Over the years of implementation of the UN counter-terrorism strategy in Central Asia, region’s countries have achieved significant results. In particular, all states have created and continue to improve national systems of countering terrorism, including the development of a regulatory framework that covers all aspects of the fight against terrorism in accordance with the main pillars of the UN GCTS, as well as institutional mechanisms that ensure the prevention and fight against terrorism, development of international cooperation in this area.
An important step was the introduction and implementation in the region of the practice of strategic planning of state activity in the sphere of counter-terrorism, based on ensuring effective interaction and coordination of the activities of state bodies, institutions of civil society and the private sector in the pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The Tashkent Conference is a logical continuation of the systematic efforts of the countries of the region to further develop coordinated cooperation in countering extremism and terrorism in Central Asia.
The key point of the conference was the address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, which attracted the keen interest of the expert community. The Uzbek leader outlined Uzbekistan’s approaches in the fight against terrorism, put forward a number of relevant program proposals.
The Head of State emphasized that the distinctive feature of State’s policy in this area is the implementation of a comprehensive, coherent and inclusive approach, combining law enforcement and preventive measures.
Active participation of civil society institutions in the implementation of the main directions of the UN GCTS, along with state bodies, significantly increase the effectiveness of counter-terrorism measures in the country.
At the same time, as Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted, the main priorities in this work are the creation of an atmosphere of mutual understanding and the development of dialogue in society, the prevention of conflicts, spiritual and moral education. The main emphasis is placed on the elimination of conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. The head of state stressed that the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism in Uzbekistan is the provision of human rights and freedoms, the rule of law.
In this context, it should be emphasized that countering extremism and terrorism is one of the priorities in ensuring the national security of the country. Uzbekistan consistently and unconditionally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and advocates the adoption of collective efforts to combat terrorism. A national system for countering terrorism has been created in the republic, which includes an extensive regulatory and institutional framework for an effective counter-terrorism policy.
In July 2021, Uzbekistan adopted the National Strategy to counter extremism and terrorism for 2021-2026, aimed at pursuing an effective and coordinated state policy to counter extremism and terrorism, thereby ensuring national security, the rights and freedoms of citizens.
The high positions occupied by Uzbekistan in various world rankings are a clear indication of the correctness and effectiveness of government’s measures. According to Gallup’s “The Law and Order Index”, Uzbekistan was among the top ten countries in terms of safety with 92 points out of 100. Meanwhile, according to the Global Index of Terrorism, our country is among the safest nations in the world.
Pursuing a measured peace-loving pragmatic and a consistent foreign policy, Uzbekistan actively cooperates on an equal and mutually beneficial basis with the international community in this direction. The Republic has signed 14 main universal international legal documents in the field of combating terrorism.
Nowadays our country is a member of a number of regional anti-terrorist structures, such as the CIS ATC, SCO RATS and others. For example, the establishment of the SCO RATS with its headquarters in Tashkent became a recognition of Uzbekistan’s leading role in the fight against terrorism. Within the framework of the CIS, the “Program of cooperation of the CIS member-states in combating terrorism and other violent manifestations of extremism for 2020-2022” was adopted.
In countering terrorism, Uzbekistan pays special attention to partnership with the OSCE, which is supported by two-year joint cooperation programs in the military-political dimension. For example, within the framework of cooperation for 2021-2022, the key objectives are countering terrorism, ensuring cybersecurity and promoting to the fight against terrorist financing.
Given the transformation of international terrorism, Uzbekistan is also actively initiating various effective cooperation mechanisms dedicated to developing global counter-terrorism potential. A convincing example is this conference, during which the President of Uzbekistan put forward several proposals to continue the successful fight against terrorist threats, not only at the regional level but also at the global level.
In particular, in order to strengthen the mechanisms for constant monitoring and critical assessment of the implementation of the JPoA, coordination of interaction between the Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan advocated the opening of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office in our region. The office can act as a coordinator of the activities of other international and regional organizations operating in this area in the region. In particular, only in the UN system 18 institutions deal with certain issues of countering terrorism in Central Asia.
- To Be Continued
