A/HRC/13/36 Working Group and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as observers. The aim of the Working Group is to support efforts by Member States to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of counter-terrorism through, among other things, the development and implementation of legislation and policies that are compliant with human rights. 5. To assist Member States in strengthening the protection of human rights in 10 specific areas, my Office, in consultation with Member States, started to develop a series of basic technical reference guides on countering terrorism with the endeavour of providing full respect for human rights. Following consultations with Member States, the first four guides being developed are on (a) proscription of organizations, (b) stopping and searching of persons, (c) designing security infrastructure, and (d) the principle of legality in national counter-terrorism legislation. 6. On 14 and 15 October 2009, my Office participated in the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force retreat in Vienna. This yearly meeting was focused on taking stock of the work that the Task Force and its working groups accomplished in the past year. It also set forth the plans for the future. Key issues discussed included, among others, the institutionalization of the Task Force in accordance with General Assembly resolution 62/272 and the communications strategy of the Task Force. 7. On 12 and 13 October 2009, my Office participated in the first International Workshop for National Counter-Terrorism Focal Points. The workshop was organized by the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and was co-sponsored by the Governments of Austria, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey, as well as by Costa Rica, Japan and Slovakia. It gathered practitioners and policymakers from national Governments to share experiences and to develop strategies for better cooperation in the collective fight against terrorism. Participants represented more than 110 Member States. During the workshop, it was affirmed that the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is the policy framework within which concrete implementation actions need to be strengthened at the national, regional and international levels, and that the Strategy needs to be implemented in a comprehensive manner. Participants noted the importance of the prevention of terrorism. Action in the area of prevention includes promoting economic development, enhancing dialogue among civilizations, supporting victims, and protecting human rights. Participants also discussed steps towards enhancing coordination among governments, United Nations entities and other partners, including the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. B. The work of the Security Council 8. On 29 October 2009, I addressed the Counter-Terrorism Committee. Guided by Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), the Committee has been working to enhance the ability of States Members of the United Nations to prevent terrorist acts both within their borders and across regions. The Committee is assisted in its efforts by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, which carries out the policy decisions of the Committee, conducts expert assessments of each Member State and facilitates counter-terrorism technical assistance to countries. This was the third time that a High Commissioner for Human Rights addressed this important body. 9. During this briefing, I reiterated that upholding human rights while countering terrorism is an inescapable imperative, because human rights law offers a framework that can both meet public security concerns and protect human dignity and the rule of law. Some measures taken to counter terrorism, such as resorting to the use of excessive force and indiscriminate repression by the police, security and army personnel, can strengthen GE.10-10442 5