The United Nations praised the State of Qatar and its support for the launch of the United Nations Global Network of Experts on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets against Terrorist Attacks. The launch of the network comes within the framework of the UN Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets. This came at the high-level virtual meeting held by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) to launch the Global Network of Experts on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets against Terrorist Attacks, with the participation of nearly 200 senior officials, experts and stakeholders from Member States, international and regional organizations, the private sector, civil society, and academia. Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office Vladimir Voronkov praised in his opening remarks the State of Qatar and thanked it for its support for launching the global network, and said that the network comes within the framework of the United Nations Global Programme on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets, and that this Programme is one of the strategic initiatives of the UNOCT, which is funded mainly thanks to the contribution made by the State of Qatar in favor of the Office. This Programme, he said, is implemented in cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).  THE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani participated as a keynote speaker in the meeting. HE said in her remarks that the State of Qatar welcomes the new concrete outcome of this Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets supported by the State of Qatar. Her Excellency stressed that the Global Program is beneficial in supporting the efforts of Member States to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks against critical targets. The programme serves a crucial need in view of the imminent danger to vulnerable targets, including infrastructure, she added. HE the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations explained that in order to allow more effective interaction, the Global Network will be hosted on the Connect and Learn Platform, which is another tool through which UNOCT fulfils its mandate in coordinating and supporting international cooperation for counterterrorism.