Virtual Dialogue with Human Rights and Civil Society Partners

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations will jointly organise a virtual two-day dialogue with human rights and civil society partners on the theme of “Building a Better Paradigm to Prevent and Counter Terrorism,” on 25 and 26 May 2021

The Dialogue will bring together Member States, UN entities, human rights representatives, women groups, youth and civil society actors, as well as experts and other stakeholders for a practical exchange of views on how to address terrorism and violent extremism while safeguarding and promoting human rights, in particular the rights of women, children and victims of terrorism.

The event will also help to elevate and profile the role which front line human rights and civil society actors play at a time when COVID-19 is exacerbating the fault-lines that terrorists are keen to exploit, including socio-economic inequalities, weak governance, political disenfranchisement, gender inequality and discrimination, human rights abuses, and the misuse of new technologies.

The Dialogue Opening Session moderated by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary- General for Counter-Terrorism and will feature several high-level keynote speakers, including the Foreign Minister of Spain, Ms. Arancha González Laya.  

This will be followed by two main sessions entitled: 

1. “The Imperative of Respecting Human Rights in Counter-Terrorism Efforts”; 
2. “The Role of Civil Society in Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Protecting Rights of Victims of Terrorism,” which will include the premiere launch of “Victima”, a documentary featuring women victims of terrorism in Spain

The event will be held virtually and will be livestreamed on UNWebTV 

• 25 May 2021, 10:00 AM – 1:15 PM New York time [ watch recap ]
• 26 May 2021, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM New York time [ watch recap ]

Background

The aim of the Dialogue is to create momentum for the Human Rights, Civil Society and Counter-Terrorism Conference scheduled for early 2022 in Málaga, Spain. The planned Conference, which was postponed from May 2021, has generated strong interest from civil society, United Nations entities, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Women. It will be UNOCT’s first fully dedicated Conference on human rights and civil society and serve to highlight the importance of fully respecting human rights and the rule of law in the fight against terrorism, as well as elevate Pillar IV of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by ensuring that human rights remain at the forefront of our CT efforts. 

The Dialogue will be an important prelude to shaping the conversation for the Málaga Conference in 2022, and to exchange ideas and provide inputs in the context of the seventh review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by the General Assembly (June 2021).