Effective international counter-terrorism policies and Universal Anti-Terrorism Instruments in focus at OSCE seminar in Tashkent

TASHKENT, 15 September 2016 – An OSCE-organized seminar for some 40 state officials, parliamentarians and experts on effective national counter-terrorism policies, guided by the relevant international legal framework, took place today in Tashkent.

During the event, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan jointly with the OSCE Secretariat’s Action against Terrorism Unit, the participants discussed enhanced co-operation within the framework of the rule of law, and reviewed the status of implementation of the Universal Anti-Terrorism Conventions and Protocols, as well as other international and regional legal instruments related to countering terrorism and co-operation in criminal matters.

“According to our mandate, one of the tasks of the Project Co-ordinator is to assist the Government of Uzbekistan in its efforts to implement OSCE and other international commitments in the politico-military dimension as a means to contribute to security and stability in the country,” said John MacGregor, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan. “We stand ready to further support Uzbekistan in the implementation of the OSCE Consolidated Framework for the Fight against Terrorism, which specifically highlights the importance of international legal co-operation and the implementation of effective, human rights-complaint policies to counter terrorism.”

Throughout their presentations, representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and the OSCE Secretariat emphasized that the legal framework provided in particular by Universal Anti-Terrorism Instruments, can only become functional once states have ratified these instruments and taken steps to incorporate their provisions into national legislation.

The seminar is the first activity organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator under a joint project with Uzbekistan, aimed at providing assistance to national law enforcement agencies and relevant institutions from the non-governmental sector in building the capabilities of practitioners to effectively respond to terrorism-related threats in compliance with human rights and the rule of law.