The Permanent Delegation of Qatar to the UN and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate briefed the member-states on the Doha Forum on Foreign Fighters held in Doha on October 30 and 31, Titled “Doha Forum on Foreign Fighters: Policies and Actions to Address Threats and Protect Vulnerable Communities” and to review the Madrid Guidelines.
Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani said that the Forum was an opportunity for all major stakeholders to address the phenomenon of foreign fighters and their impact on vulnerable communities and global security.
The forum was organised by a number of research and academic institutions, including Soufan Centre, Georgetown University, Qatar University and the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies, she added.
HE Sheikha Alya said that the purpose of the forum is to serve as a platform for exchanging information and guiding the research agenda to identify and address knowledge gaps and to find the best ways to activate Security Council resolutions on foreign terrorist fighters at the national and international levels.
To affirm the active partnership of Qatar in international co-operation to confront terrorism, she noted the participation of HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, reflects the priority of the government of Qatar to support international efforts in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism and to emphasise the important role played by the international community and the academic community.
HE Sheikha Alya praised the recommendations made by the Doha Forum on Foreign Fighters, stressing the need to combat violent extremism and the need to develop programmes to deal with returnees from the battlefields to prevent them from entering war zones and conflicts again and to provide an environment conducive to their rehabilitation into society.

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