The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism UNOCT and the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen partnership in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism.
A statement by the ECOWAS commission indicates that the agreement establishes a framework for cooperation between both entities over the next five years on a range of security and counter-terrorism initiatives, including preventative efforts to counter terrorist travel, financing, access to weapons and misuse of information and communications technologies; border security and management; prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration (PRR), and the delivery of counter-terrorism training programmes in Africa.
It says the agreement also makes provisions for United Nations Office on Counter Terrorism support to ECOWAS and its Member States in the implementation of the ECOWAS 2020-2024 Action Plan on Eradicating Terrorism.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, and Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, during a bilateral meeting on the margins of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week.
The statement explains that follo
wing the signing, ECOWAS and UNOCT will develop a joint plan of action to put the agreement into practice, building on existing coordination platforms, such as the AU-UN Technical Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.