A/HRC/16/50 legislation and the proscription of organizations at the national level. These tools aim to provide guidance on how measures compliant with human rights can be adopted in a number of counter-terrorism areas and will be useful instruments in assisting Member States in strengthening the protection of human rights while countering terrorism. In addition, the working group will organize a series of international meetings, held at the regional level on a rotating basis, which will focus on issues related to the protection of human rights in the context of countering terrorism, with a view to developing recommendations based on international standards. The first meeting will take place in early 2011 in South-East Asia, and will address the issue of the right to a fair trial in the context of countering terrorism. 9. In addition to chairing the working group on protecting human rights while countering terrorism, my Office is an active member of a number of other Task Force working groups and initiatives, including the working group on preventing and resolving conflicts, the Integrated Assistance for Countering Terrorism (I-ACT) Initiative, the working group on countering the use of the Internet for terrorism purposes, the working group on supporting and highlighting victims of terrorism, and the newly founded working group on border management. In all of these working groups, my Office aims to mainstream human rights concerns and issues in the work of the Task Force, as per the framework provided by the Global Strategy. In this context, in January and February 2010, my Office took part in meetings of the working group on countering the use of Internet for terrorist purposes, in Berlin and in Seattle. 10. In its Presidential statement of 27 September 2010 (PRST 2010/19), the Security Council recognized, inter alia, the importance of civil society for increasing awareness about the threats of terrorism and more effectively tackling them. Through the Global Strategy, the General Assembly also stressed the need to further encourage nongovernmental organizations and civil society to engage, as appropriate, on how to enhance efforts to implement the Strategy.4 Further, the Secretary-General has noted that Member States have highlighted the need to engage more closely with civil society and to provide better linkage between the activities of the Task Force and civil society entities.5 It is my view that engagement with civil society is a necessary element of any assistance provided to Member States to implement the human rights aspects of the Global Strategy. The Task Force should, as a whole, including under the leadership of the working group on protecting human rights while countering terrorism, step up its engagement with civil society, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights defenders. Such engagement can inform any assistance provided by the Task Force and its working groups, and lead to a response that is both effective and compliant with international human rights law. C. Activities of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee and Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate 11. The Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate continue to take relevant human rights concerns into account in their work programmes focused on the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005). Under the chairmanship of Turkey, the Committee has held thematic discussions on issues mentioned in the resolutions, all of which have referred to relevant human rights aspects, such as ensuring respect for the right to seek asylum while denying 4 5 Para. 3 (d) of resolution A/62/288, as reaffirmed in resolution 64/297, para. 6. “United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy: activities of the United Nations system in implementing the Strategy” (A/64/818), para. 19. 5