The Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Senator Pholile Shakantu, has expressed the pressing need for a clear legal framework for handling asylum seekers amid growing regional concerns over border security and terrorism.
This appeal was made during her participation at the High-Level Conference on “Strengthening International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Building Agile Border Security Mechanisms – the Kuwait Phase of the Dushanbe Process.”
On the conference sidelines, Minister Pholile Shakantu met with Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), to explore areas where Eswatini and the UN can cooperate in counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism.
As a result, Eswatini is set to receive technical assistance from UNOCT, enhancing its capacity to tackle terrorism within its borders and beyond.
RELATED: Eswatini, Kuwait celebrate 28 years of diplomatic relations
During the Ministerial debate, Minister Shakantu stressed the importance of establishing efficient, centralized border processing systems, allowing legitimate asylum claims to be addressed swiftly while reducing the risk of exploitation by criminal networks.
“A robust legal framework is critical,” she remarked, noting that it can prevent abuse by those seeking to bypass justice under the guise of asylum.
Additionally, the Minister emphasized the importance of international responsiveness in tracing terrorists who exploit international borders to evade justice.
She urged for enhanced cooperation between global institutions, law enforcement agencies, and diplomatic networks to facilitate swift extradition and create a unified global response to terrorism.
Moreover, the high-level conference in Kuwait gathered over 500 participants, including 28 government ministers, high-ranking representatives from 91 UN Member States, and experts from civil society and various regional organizations.
In a powerful closing declaration, attendees committed to fortifying international collaboration and counter-terrorism measures.
The declaration outlined specific actions to strengthen the global fight against terrorism, including organizing a High-Level Border Security and Management Conference in 2026, reviewing the outcomes of the Kuwait Phase, and extending capacity-building initiatives to affected countries in Africa.
The declaration also proposed establishing an expert group dedicated to border management and strengthening knowledge-sharing between regions, particularly in Africa, Central Asia, and the League of Arab States (LAS).
This commitment includes a pledge to engage the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management, connecting border security experts worldwide for more collaborative and responsive counter-terrorism efforts.
RELATED: No end in sight to fuel price increases
A repository of successful practices from regions such as LAS, Africa, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will also be established on a UN virtual platform,
aiming to build a resource of knowledge and best practices that can help address the rapidly changing security landscape.
Furthermore, the declaration promotes technical exchanges between officials and law enforcement agencies in Africa, Central Asia, and LAS, which seeks to integrate emerging technologies into border management strategies to counter evolving security threats.
In concluding, participants called on the Governments of Kuwait and Tajikistan to present this Declaration to the United Nations General Assembly to ensure its distribution among Member States,
strengthening international cooperation and laying a foundation for continued progress towards a world free from terrorism.
