Early warning, regional mechanisms key to countering terrorist threat, OSCE anti-terrorism head tells UN committee

UNITED NATIONS, 28 September 2011 – Regional organizations have a critical role in putting global strategies to fight terrorism into practice, said Raphael Perl, the Head on Anti-Terrorism Issues at the OSCE Secretariat, at a special meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee today.

The meeting, opened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, was held to commemorate the 2001 adoption of Security Council resolution 1373, a binding resolution which requires UN member states to suppress terrorist financing, share intelligence and implement international conventions and protocols to combat terrorism.

Perl highlighted three concrete recommendations for future efforts in implementing Resolution 1373 - the need to address long term conditions that breed the terrorist threat, the need to invest in early warning mechanisms, and the need to place more reliance on regional organizations.

The OSCE as a regional security organization supports its participating States in putting the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy into practice, said Perl: “Regional mechanisms are a powerful force multiplier when confronting challenges to security. If we devote more efforts and resources to strengthening regional organizations, we all reap the benefits.”

The meeting, attended by representatives of international, regional and subregional organizations, focused on the progress achieved in implementing Resolution 1373.