The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the CICTE Secretariat, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Suriname, undertook a joint Legislative Technical Assistance Mission to Paramaribo, Suriname, on November 19-20, 2007. The main goals of the mission were to increase awareness at the highest level of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative powers, on the importance of ratifying and implementing the universal legal instruments against

terrorism and the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism; and to provide technical assistance on the Surinamese draft counterterrorism legislation.

During the first day of the mission, consultations were held with, among other authorities, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Justice and Police, the President of the Court of Justice, the Prosecutor General, and the President of the National Assembly. On the second day, a workshop was held on the ratification and implementation of the universal legal instruments against terrorism and the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism. Around 40 high-ranking officials from various ministries and institutions attended the workshop, which was opened by the Minister of Justice and Police and closed by the Minister of Defense.