Eleventh Regular Session of CICTE

On March 17, 2011, the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism held its Eleventh Regular Session. The theme of this year's meeting was "To reaffirm our commitment to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism, and to strengthen regional cooperation.”

The Chair of CICTE, The Bahamas, was represented by The Honorable Minister of National Security of the Bahamas, O.A. Tommy Turnquest, who thanked the Member States for their support and encouragement during his time as Chair of CICTE.

During the inaugural ceremony remarks were delivered by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, His Excellency Jose Miguel Insulza, who welcomed the authorities and recognized the initiatives undertaken by the countries of the hemisphere to combat terrorism in all its forms.

The keynote speech was delivered by the Executive Director of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), Lynne Anne Williams. Ms. Williams spoke about the activities that the institution has carried out on issues such as border control, aviation and maritime security, legislative assistance, infrastructure protection, cyber security and inter-regional cooperation, among others.

Grenada was elected as Chair of CICTE for the period 2011 to 2012, during the First Plenary Session. The Honourable Karl Hood, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Environment, Foreign Trade and Export Development of Grenada, assumed the Chair of the meeting.

Guatemala was elected to the Vice-Chair of CICTE for 2011-2012. The Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the OAS, Ambassador Skinner-Klee accepted the nomination on behalf of his country and expressed his Government’s appreciation for the vote of confidence.

The Member States were then invited, during the second plenary session, to a dialogue on the theme of the event.

The Third Plenary Session was dedicated to the consideration of documents. Upon consideration, the CICTE 2011 Work Plan and the Declaration on “Renewed Hemispheric Commitment to Enhance Cooperation to Prevent, Combat and Eliminate Terrorism” were adopted by consensus.

Ambassador Puri, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee, addressed the Member States in a speech delivered in the Fourth Plenary Session.

During the meeting, Member States had the opportunity to exchange their views on activities and commitments to prevent, eliminate, and combat this scourge.

Resolution

Languages: Spa | Eng | Por | Fra

List of Participants

Speeches

• Remarks by the 2010 - 2011 Chair of CICTE , The Honourable Orville "Tommy" Turnquist, Minister of National Security of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

• Address by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, His Excellency Jose Miguel Insulza

• Keynote Address by the Executive Director of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security - IMPACS, Ms. Lynne Anne Williams

• Remarks by the 2011-2012 Chair of CICTE , The Honourable I.J. Karl Hood, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Environment, Foreign Trade, and Export Development of Grenada

• Remarks by the Chairman of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ambassador H.S. Puri

Reports

• Report on the Activities of the Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, Gordon Duguid, Executive Secretary of CICTE

• Report of the Chair of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, The Honourable Orville "Tommy" Turnquist, Ministry of National Security of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

• Report of the Rapporteur of the Eleventh Regular Session of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, Hayda Wallen-Jaganath, Security Cooperation Programme Specialist for the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago