Abuja-Nigeria — A two-day consultative meeting of international experts which ended at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday 10th May 2011, has recommended that the Draft ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Implementation Plan should leverage best practices within the region, the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN) and other regional and international organizations.

The meeting attended by 40 experts from international organizations underscored the need for synergy linking the Draft ECOWAS Strategy to the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy as well as the strategies of other international organizations such as the UN Office on Drug Control (UNODC), the ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in Africa (GIABA), the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and The Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The participants also called for a Strategy that is comprehensive and action- oriented with a robust framework and an in-built review mechanism to ensure effective monitoring of implementation. Noting the peculiarity of challenges faced by ECOWAS Member States on counter- terrorism, the experts said the ECOWAS Strategy should reflect the political consensus of Members based on regional priorities. They urged the Commission to collaborate with Member States in the elaboration process of the Strategy and Plan to enable the States take full ownership of the process.

The consultative meeting, which reviewed the Draft ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Implementation Plan, is the first phase in a series of process including a review by the civil society, the media, government experts and ECOWAS parliament before the Strategy and Plan will be approved by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and government. Expert from local, regional, continental and international institutions, as well as representatives of partner countries attended the meeting.