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UNIS/CP/412 |
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VIENNA SYMPOSIUM ON THE UNITED NATIONS’ CONTRIBUTION TO COMBATING INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM VIENNA, 31 May (UN Information Service) – The role of the United Nations in fighting international terrorism will be discussed at a symposium in Vienna next week (3 and 4 June 2002). The meeting will highlight the work of the Vienna-based UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) and consider how its expertise in the field of transnational organized crime, drug trafficking and money-laundering can be used to help the international community combat terrorism. The symposium is being organized by the United Nations Office at Vienna with the support of the Austrian Government. It will bring together some of the prominent United Nations representatives involved in the UN’s response to the 11 September terrorist attacks including Hans Corell, Under-Secretary-General in the Office for Legal Affairs, Michael Doyle, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General, Shashi Tharoor, the Interim Head of the Department of Public Information and Giandomenico Picco, Member of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Policy Working Group on the UN and Terrorism. The Chairman of the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, Sir Jeremy Greenstock will also address the symposium. There will be a keynote address by Austrian Foreign Minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner on 3 June. The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, Antonio Maria Costa, will give the opening address. Mr. Costa expects ideas and proposals at the symposium which could lead to the new momentum in the fight against terrorism. In the wake of the 11 September attacks, the role of the United Nations in the fight against international terrorism has been enhanced following new measures adopted by the Security Council. The symposium in Vienna will explore how to further strengthen international law to combat international terrorism and how ODCCP can assist and support Member States in ratifying and implementing existing conventions and protocols on terrorism. The links between organized crime, money-laundering, drug trafficking and terrorism have been noted in Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) and all of these are areas in which ODCCP has significant expertise. The Vienna-based office has experience of providing technical cooperation and advisory services to Member States and has been dealing with increased requests for assistance from countries since 11 September. The symposium will examine the contributions of various UN entities, led by the Security Council in the global fight against terrorism. Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council and Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the UN in New York, will speak about the work of the committee. Shashi Tharoor, Assistant Secretary-General, Interim Head, Department of Public Information, Michael Doyle, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General and Thomas McNamara, Ambassador, Special Coordinator for United Nations Terrorism Matters, US State Department will discuss the implementation of United Nations resolutions on terrorism. Hans Corell, Under-Secretary-General and Legal Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs of the UN will address a panel discussion on the existing international conventions and protocols on the prevention of terrorism. Member States have been calling for the implementation of the existing 12 terrorism conventions and many states will need assistance to do this as well as to implement their new obligations under the Security Council resolutions on terrorism. Regional experiences of dealing with terrorism will be addressed by the number of speakers from different international organizations, including the Minister of Interior of the Philippines, Jose D. Lina, who will speak on the contribution of the Association of South-East Asian Nation (ASEAN). *** Journalists are welcome to attend the symposium in the press gallery of the IAEA Boardroom. For further information about the event please contact Kemal Kurspahic, ODCCP Spokesman on For the full programme of the Terrorism Symposium please visit: For more information about the UN’s contribution to the fight against terrorism visit: For more information about ODDCP’s work on terrorism visit their web site: * *** * |
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