Terrorism is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Even though the United Nations and IPU have passed several resolutions, all of which set out a clear role for parliaments, there have been gaps in implementation.
To address these gaps, IPU and the UN Office for Drugs and Crime co-organized a two-day meeting with the Egyptian Parliament in Aswan, Egypt, from 31 January to 2 February. Thirty parliamentarians attended from the MENA region and the Gulf States to discuss the challenges that arise when extremism leads to terrorism.
“Terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. I believe strongly that terrorism should be countered with legitimacy and justice,” said IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong in his opening remarks. He stressed how important parliaments were in preventing terror. “The success of preventive measures depends, among other factors, on the extent to which societies are fully represented by their parliaments, and on the ability of parliaments to help prevent conditions that are conducive to violent extremism.”
Participants discussed the reasons why people become radicalized. They considered how fully implementing the Sustainable Development Goals could help prevent terrorism by addressing the socioeconomic factors that enable radicalization, noting that societies with higher equality and inclusion tend to be less vulnerable to extremism. Participants also identified regional and national strategies for effective criminal justice responses to counter terrorism.
Participants welcomed the draft of a member-driven plan of action on how parliaments can act to prevent terrorism. The plan was conceived to fill the implementation gaps of the UN resolutions.
Participants agreed on recommendations that included the development of national plans of action to counter terrorism, the involvement of youth and civil society and increased cooperation with the United Nations and with other parliaments. Participants highlighted the rule of law as the ruling principle in the fight against terrorism, and emphasized the importance of ensuring equality before the law and equal legal protection in relations between government and citizens. They also called for preventative criminal justice measures to tackle extremism.
Similar conferences in other regions such as sub-Saharan Africa are planned for later this year.
