The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter–Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism (PCVE). The MoU was co-signed by UNCCT Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov and Etidal Secretary-General Dr. Mansour Al-Shammari, in the presence of Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Mouallimi as the Chairman of the Advisory Board of UNCCT. This agreement will lead to the development of joint projects between the two sides to support the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy through the activities related to the capacity-building in the field of strategic communications to prevent violent extremism and countering the use of the internet for terrorist purposes. It will also lead to organize awareness raising campaigns on youth engagement, tolerance and support for victims of terrorism. The signing of the MoU demonstrates the willingness of UNCCT and Etidal to support the efforts of the international community to address the scourge of terrorism and prevent the spread of extremist ideologies. In his speech, Ambassador Al-Mouallimi highlighted the key role of UNCCT as a centre of excellence, hailing the MoU signing which reflects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's keen interest and its continuous commitment to combating terrorism. For his part, Vladimir Voronkov said that the MoU marks the start to establish a sustainable and practical partnership between the two organizations as well as leveraging the respective comparative advantages of both sides in technology, analysis and global capacity building. UNCCT and Etidal will be able to find synergies in the work as centers of excellence in preventing and countering violent extremism and to share good practices in combatting the spread of violent extremist ideology. Dr. Al-Shammari affirmed the commitment of Etidal to support the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in order to achieve the desired noble goals.
