Resolution on Countering Terrorism and Extremism in the Asia-Pacific Region

29th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum
13-15 December 2021

Resolution on Countering Terrorism and Extremism in the Asia-Pacific Region

APPF29/RES/05

Draft Resolution Sponsored by: Russian Federation

We, the parliamentarians of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), participating in the 29th Annual Meeting of the APPF held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, under the theme The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening Resilience in the Post-Covid-19 Era:

Recalling Resolution APPF28/RES/15 on Countering Terrorism in the Asia-Pacific Region, adopted at the 28th session of the APPF,

Pointing out that terrorism in all its forms and aspects continues to be one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and any act of terrorism is a crime and unjustifiable wrongdoing irrespective of its motives, and of where, when and by whom it is committed,

Noting that the rapid spread of coronavirus infection reduced the operational capabilities of terrorists, but in the meantime it has led to an accelerated transformation of terrorist threats in the virtual space,

Again calling on UN Member States, international and regional organizations, as well as all the forces of the world community to unite within the framework of a broad international coalition in countering the global threat of terrorism, primarily coming from ISIS, Al-Qaeda
and individuals and organizations related with them, based on the principles of the UN Charter, relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and international anti-terrorism conventions,

Confirming the commitment to the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and striving for its full implementation, also in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR),

Noting the importance of further strengthening counterterrorism cooperation through the ASEAN Regional Security Forum (ARF) as well as the APEC Working Group on Counter-Terrorism,

Stressing that international cooperation in the field of combating terrorism and extremism should be based on international law, including the universally recognized principles of the sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, as well as on the recognition of the decisive role of states and their competent bodies in countering terrorism and extremism, and take into account national experience and the specifics of states,

Emphasizing the inadmissibility of the practice of using terrorist and extremist groups by states, as well as the problems of countering international terrorism as means of achieving political goals,

Taking into consideration the risk of emergence of new hotbeds of armed conflicts and further extension of the geography of terrorism, and threats from foreign terrorists returning from armed conflict zones to countries of origin or moving to third countries,

Noting with alarm that with the COVID-19 pandemic and most governments imposing a regime of restrictions and reduction of social activity, terrorists' "withdrawal" into the Internet and social networks has accelerated, with the use of non-contact methods to spread terrorist and extremist ideology and call for violence of various ideological types,

Stressing in this context the need to intensify specialized discussions at various international platforms, among them the ARF and APEC, including in view of the growing danger of an outbreak in radicalization of public sentiments,

Emphasizing that a depoliticized approach is needed in the field of countering extremism, involving the development of a unified terminology and aimed at strengthening the international legal framework of counterterrorism,

Reaffirming the inadmissibility of public calls and incitement to terrorism and extremism, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution 2354 on “threats to international peace and security posed by terrorist acts” and the “Comprehensive International Framework” with a set of recommendations and best practices to counter the terrorist propaganda,

Highlighting as priority tasks for the APPF member parliaments the building up of interaction in the fight against propaganda of terrorist and extremist ideas, as well as the promotion of meaningful dialogue between states and IT companies to develop common standards for countering the dissemination of illegal information on the Internet,

RESOLVES TO:

Confirm that APPF Member Countries play the leading role and bear primary responsibility in the combating and prevention of terrorism both at the national level and within the framework of international anti-terrorism cooperation;
Strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation within the APPF to improve legal and regulatory frameworks regarding prevention of terrorism and extremism; create conditions for effective fighting against this phenomena at the national and international levels including counteraction to the financing of terrorism;
Use the potential of parliamentary diplomacy for active promotion of meaningful international anti-terrorist agenda and political discussion of anti-terrorist cooperation within the scope of international measures without politicization and "double standards";
Make full use of existing practices of national parliaments, members of the APPF, to promote the ratification and implementation of international treaties regulating cooperation between states in the sphere of countering terrorism and extremism;
Take measures to improve cooperation in the field of security and combating new challenges and threats, combating terrorism and extremism where applicable; focus efforts on the development of universal legal norms to counter the use of the Internet for illegal purposes;
Help prevent the practice of providing information platforms for terrorists and their sponsors and fueling tensions in the information space that contribute to terrorist radicalization, and to focus efforts on legislating accountability for such violations; and
Contribute to ensuring the rule of law at the international and national level as a fundamental principle governing measures to combat terrorism and extremism and provide for strict adherence to the international human rights law.