NEW YORK – The World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) signed a first-of-its kind Memorandum of Understanding on Friday, to provide a framework for cooperation and coordination to counter threats of terrorism worldwide.
WJC President Ronald S. Lauder hailed the MoU as a “groundbreaking first step in building a strong mutual infrastructure for coordination in monitoring ongoing threats and assessing effective measures for implementation to ensure the security of our Jewish communities and other citizens around the world. We look forward to working together with the UNOCT and UN Member States to implement the UN’s critical counter-terrorism strategy.”
The MoU, which was signed by WJC Executive Vice President Maram Stern and UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov at the UNOCT offices in New York, recognizes the importance of international, regional, and inter-organizational cooperation in countering the threats posed by terrorism to nations, communities, and individuals around the world, and takes into consideration the interlinked aspects of terrorism, racism, xenophobia, hate speech and violence, including against religious ethnic and other minorities.
As part of the scope of cooperation, the WJC and UNOCT have agreed to establish and develop consultation and cooperation to harness their joint capabilities to support efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism, including addressing hate speech; promoting policies, guidelines, and programs to foster understanding and tolerance; promoting recognition of and support for victims of terrorism worldwide, and furthering the need to ensure dedicated protection for soft targets, in particular places of worship.
