Saudi Arabia participated in the 2026 United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week, held at the UN headquarters in New York. The Kingdom was represented by a delegation from the Presidency of State Security headed by General Abdulhamid AlBadr, with the participation of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the UN.
During the event, AlBadr delivered the Kingdom’s statement as a keynote speaker during the third session on the global terrorist threat landscape. He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s vision and efforts to combat terrorism, as well as the importance of strengthening international cooperation, sharing information and expertise, and building capacity to support international peace and security.
AlBadr also participated in a side event organized by Saudi Arabia in partnership with several countries and international organizations on countering terrorist financing in low-capacity and fragile environments, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Discussions focused on strengthening capacity-building efforts, enhancing operational cooperation, and ensuring the balanced implementation of relevant international standards to support global efforts to cut off the sources of terrorist financing.
On the sidelines of the event, AlBadr held meetings with senior UN officials, including Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Alexandre Zouev and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Natalia Gherman.
The meetings reviewed areas of cooperation and ways to strengthen partnership and coordination in capacity-building and support international counter-terrorism initiatives. These efforts aim to strengthen global efforts to address terrorist threats and promote international peace and security.
The Counter-Terrorism Week (CT Week) at the United Nations is a gathering of Member States and international counter-terrorism stakeholders taking place on the occasion of the reviews of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the UN said in a statement.
The Fourth CT Week took place from 26 June to 2 July 2026 under the theme: “A Future Free from Terrorism: Consolidating the Global Commitment to Multi-Stakeholder Approaches to Counter Terrorism through Member States’ Leadership and Action.”
The CT Week comprised:
- The Fourth United Nations High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States held on Monday, 29 June and Tuesday, 30 June 2026.
- The Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly for the ninth review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, held on Wednesday, 1 July and Thursday, 2 July 2026.
- Approximately 40 Side events, which were organized by Member States together with United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Compact entities, international and regional organizations, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector between Friday, 26 June, and Thursday, 2 July 2026. (SPA; UN; Photo © UN)
