Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain has reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to global security cooperation and UN conventions, citing Bangladesh's 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism.
He was speaking at the ministerial session of the high-level conference on ‘Strengthening International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Building Agile Border Security Mechanisms’ in Kuwait City on Monday (November 4).
The Foreign Affairs Adviser is currently leading the Bangladesh delegation at the two-day high-level conference starting today, a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
He stressed the importance of a human rights-centric approach to countering terrorism, warned against politically abused security systems and highlighted Bangladesh’s ongoing reforms to protect fundamental freedoms.
Calling for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in security and border management, he told the ministerial session, “AI must respect human rights and be compatible with local contexts.”
Touhid Hossain urged countries with advanced technologies to share their expertise to strengthen global coordinated efforts in the fight against terrorism.
Highlighting the essence of multilateralism in counter-terrorism, the adviser said that true security is achieved only when every society is secure.
He added, "In today's interconnected world, no society is truly secure until every society is secure."
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this high-level conference is the fourth iteration of the 'Dushanbe Process', an initiative launched in 2018 to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism and border security in Central Asian countries.
This conference is particularly important because it has, for the first time, expanded the scope and impact of the 'Dushanbe Process' beyond Central Asia and linked it to efforts to strengthen the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.