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New York [US], January 20 (ANI/Xinhua): The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in partnership with several other agencies, on Tuesday launched a global program on countering terrorist threats against vulnerable targets to help UN member states deal with this scourge.
Across the globe, terrorists have repeatedly and cowardly targeted public spaces to cause mass casualties to instill fear and generate chaos, said UN Undersecretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, who heads the UNOCT. Terrorist killings in urban centers have increased sharply since 2011. Attacks against religious sites are becoming more lethal; he told a virtual ceremony for the launch of the program. "The horrible acts of terror are an attack against our values and way of life." The program, in partnership with the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, and in consultation with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, and Interpol, will provide specialized assistance to member states in developing collaborative approaches to prevent, counter, respond to, investigate and recover from terrorist attacks against vulnerable targets, Voronkov said. The program will assist beneficiary member states in developing national action plans, frameworks and operating procedures to implement such collaborative approaches, and provide tailored operational training and monitoring services and mentoring services to increase member states' practical risk mitigation capacity. It will also collect and disseminate good practices, he said. "Our global program illustrates a fundamental objective of our counter-terrorism agenda: ensuring that our citizens can safely enjoy and exercise their fundamental freedoms and socio-economic rights in their daily life without fear," said Voronkov. (ANI/Xinhua)
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