Abdul Salam Nassiya at Istanbul Conference: Lack of a clear terrorism definition weakens counter-efforts

Libyan House of Representatives member, Abdul Salam Nassiya, participated in the Global Parliamentary Conference on Counter-Terrorism and Violent Extremism, held in Istanbul, in his capacity as an executive committee member of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union. The conference is jointly organised by the Qatar Shura Council and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.
In his address during the opening session, Nassiya criticised the persistent absence of a universally agreed-upon international definition of terrorism. He noted that the world has yet to reach a comprehensive, shared concept, as each country continues to define terrorism based on its own specific political and security interests.
Nassiya also launched sharp criticism against the conference’s neglect of the issue of ‘state terrorism.’ He highlighted the extensive destruction in Gaza and the thousands of women and children killed, asserting that overlooking this reality undermines the credibility of international counter-terrorism efforts.
The two-day conference aims to bolster the role of parliamentary institutions in formulating comprehensive and harmonised legislative responses to evolving terrorist threats. Its focus areas include the intersection of terrorism with organised crime and armed conflicts, as well as facilitating dialogue to unify legal frameworks and oversight mechanisms.
Furthermore, the conference seeks to raise parliamentarians’ awareness regarding the necessity of adopting human rights-compliant counter-terrorism policies that align with international standards, international humanitarian law, and refugee law. The goal is to formulate practical parliamentary recommendations that will feed into the forthcoming review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.