New network launched to protect vulnerable targets

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism has launched the United Nations Global Network of Experts on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets against Terrorist Attacks.

The network of experts and practitioners on the protection of critical infrastructure and ‘soft’ targets seeks to foster synergies between relevant stakeholders across the world from both the public and private sectors as well as academia, civil society, international and regional organisations.

It is hosted online on the UNOCT Connect & Learn Platform, allowing more enriching interactions among experts through a social media community, giving them access to a library of international good practices on vulnerable targets protection and, in the future, providing access to relevant e-learning courses.

The launch event, on 15 February, saw Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, call on member states and all relevant stakeholders to work together to address the increasing terrorist threat against vulnerable targets. He stressed that ‘the Global Network will contribute to this effort by fostering synergies between experts from the public and private sectors as well as academia, civil society, international and regional organisations’.

Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, ermanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, noted that the Global Programme to Counter Terrorist Attacks against Vulnerable Targets is beneficial in supporting the efforts of member states to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks against critical targets. She commended the Programme for having yielded, in a short period, numerous tangible products.

The opening also included a technical session, which included expert speakers from member states, regional organisations and civil society, who discussed specific case studies and good practices with a focus on the protection against terrorist attacks of both critical infrastructure, such as energy facilities, transportation systems, or water supplies, and ‘soft targets’, such as urban centres, tourist venues, religious sites and major cultural and sports events.