Introduction:

Heads of counter-terrorism agencies from across the world will be meeting at UN Headquarters in New York next week for the first time, to pool expertise, resources and ideas to fight back against the growing scourge of international terrorism.

In an interview with UN News ahead of the landmark forum, the official who heads up the world body’s Office of Counter-Terrorism — which came into being just a year ago — said that it would give those leading the fight from the local to the international level the chance to “show our unity” and speak with “one professional voice”.

Elena Vapnitchnaia asked the Under-Secretary-General of the Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, what was so significant about the upcoming High-Level Conference on Counter-Terrorism.