A delegation of Uzbekistan led by the Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Eldor Aripov took part in High-Level Conference on Human Rights, Civil Society, and Counter-Terrorism on 9-11 May in Malaga, Spain.

The three-day international forum with the participation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, heads of UN specialized agencies, including the Human Rights Council, UNICEF, UNESCO, the Alliance of Civilizations, as well as high representatives of the EU, ministers of UN member states, was organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and the Spanish government.

On 9 May, on the margins of the conference, ISRS together with the UN Counter-Terrorism Office and the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia organized a side event on the Launch of the e-learning Course on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism in Central Asia.

The scientific and practical session was attended by high representatives of the UNOCT, UN specialized agencies, including UNICEF, UNESCO, UNODC, UNITAR, as well as experts, law enforcement specialists and representatives of civil society from Central Asian countries.

The event became the practical implementation of the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward in Tashkent on 3-4 March 2022 during the high-level international conference held under the auspices of the UN and the OSCE in honor of the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia.

In particular, in Malaga, UNOCT and ISRS specialists officially launched a comprehensive e-learning course on countering terrorism, ensuring human rights and the rule of law in the context of combating terrorism in Central Asia, developed by UNOCT and UNRCCA.

The curriculum, developed within the framework of the fourth direction of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, incorporated the best international practices, taking into account the specifics of the region and the approaches of countries to counter-terrorism.

Speaking at the event as a moderator, the ISRS Director presented the experience of Uzbekistan in countering extremism and terrorism, familiarized the participants with the achievements of the Central Asian states within the framework of the execution of the Joint Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It was emphasized that Central Asia became the first example of successful regionalization of the UN Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which is recognized as a unique tool for combining national and international efforts in the fight against terrorism.

It was noted that organized in March 2022, in Tashkent, the international conference once again demonstrated the political will and desire of all countries in the region to continue cooperation in this direction.

According to the ISRS Director, the adoption in the capital of Uzbekistan of the updated Joint Action Plan and the Tashkent Declaration, subsequently distributed as an official document of the UN General Assembly, opened a new stage in consolidating the efforts of the Central Asian states in the fight against terrorism.

Eldor Aripov drew the attention of the participants to the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which was presented and received support within the framework of the Tashkent Conference on 3-4 March 2022. In particular, it was emphasized that the proposal of the President of Uzbekistan to open an office of the UNOCT in Central Asia will further strengthen the coordination of efforts to combat terrorism both at the regional and global levels.

In addition, according to the representative of Uzbekistan, the proposal of the President of Uzbekistan to hold a conference on “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance” under the auspices of the UN in 2023 in Uzbekistan will make a significant contribution to advancing the agenda aimed at eradicating one of the key sources of terrorism – illiteracy and ignorance, religious and other intolerance.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Uzbekistan delegation held a meeting with the Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov, during which they discussed the prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in implementing the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in countering terrorism.

UzA