Under-Secretary-General of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov, has praised the support provided by Qatar to the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.
He made the remarks at a meeting of the Committee on Peace and International Security to discuss a draft resolution on the inadmissibility of the use of mercenaries as means of undermining peace and violation of human rights, which was part of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The Under-Secretary-General of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office thanked Qatar for providing strong support to the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism saying there is close co-operation between Qatar and the UN Office in this area.
He also praised Qatar’s active contribution to efforts of preventing violent intolerance, pointing to the role played by sport in this regard. He said that Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and its efforts in the sports field will contribute to prevention of violent intolerance.
Voronkov reviewed the role played by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism in this area, saying that the office, although just two years old, had  achieve considerable progress in its efforts, explaining that there were 38 sections of the United Nations concerned with this area. However, the establishment of the Office has contributed to the consolidation of United Nations efforts in this regard.
He also stressed the importance of co-operation with parliamentarians to implement the documents emanating from the United Nations and the Security Council in relation to countering terrorism, stressing the importance of parliaments around the world in promoting these efforts and enacting national legislation to combat terrorism.
He reviewed the main tasks of the Counter-Terrorism Office, saying that it was to lead counter-terrorism efforts through the mandate given by the General Assembly of the United Nations system and to enhance co-ordination and coherence among the entities of the Global Counter-Terrorism Co-ordination (Former Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force), to ensure the balanced implementation of the four pillars of the United Nations counter-terrorism strategy, to strengthen the provision of UN assistance to member states in capacity-building in counter-terrorism, to improve visibility, advocacy and resource mobilisation for United Nations counter-terrorism efforts and, ensuring that due priority is given to counter-terrorism across the United Nations system, and that the important work in preventing violent extremism is firmly rooted in the strategy.
He pointed out that the UN Office aims to establish close relations with Security Council bodies, member states, and to strengthen existing and developing new partnerships through regular travel and attendance at counter-terrorism meetings.
Member of the Advisory Council, Mohamed bin Ali al-Hanzab, said that Qatar plays an important and pivotal role in combating terrorism and supporting regional and international peace and stability.