The US embassy in Kathmandu and the government of Nepal are organising a regional counterterrorism conference Kathmandu from April 15 to April 17.
The three-day international conference will unite top experts from the United States, the United Nations, and Indonesia, with law enforcement, prosecutors, and lawyers from Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
“No nation is immune from terrorism. The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) represents an attempt to share and develop best practices and policies to share experience and expertise across the region, and to develop close working relationships among law enforcement,” U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, Peter W. Bodde stated in his opening address.
“The conference will focus on the best practices in the assistance and protection of victims of terrorism, based on the principles established under the GCTF’s Madrid Memorandum. The conference will highlight the importance of having victims be heard in court, so that they can share with the court the pain and loss that they have suffered in a terrorist attack. Enhancements to courtroom security will also be discussed,” the US embassy said in a statement.
The conference in Kathmandu is the second of three regional programs that are being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Prosecutorial Assistance, Development and Training (DOJ OPDAT) in the months to come, the embassy said.
In February, OPDAT organized a four-day regional program in Dhaka, Bangladesh on the best practices in the investigation and prosecution of terrorism cases, based on the GCTF’s Rabat Memorandum. ” In May, OPDAT plans to organize a third conference, a four-day program on the foreign fighter phenomenon, to be held in India. All three programs are designed to share expertise and experience on counterterrorism issues, while encouraging regional and international cooperation,” the statement added.