THE GLOBAL
COUNTERTERRORISM
FORUM is an informal, multilateral counterterrorism (CT) platform that focuses on identifying critical civilian CT needs, mobilizing the necessary expertise and resources to address such needs and enhance global cooperation.

THIRD MINISTERIAL, 14 DECEMBER 2012

Ministers Gathered in Abu Dhabi under Co-chairmanship of Turkey and United States Support Victims of Terrorism, Take Steps against Kidnapping for Ransom and Violent Extremism 

The GCTF strives to make people everywhere safe from terrorism.  Ministers and other senior officials of the 30 GCTF members, meeting in Abu Dhabi on 14 December 2012, took important steps toward this goal.

  • UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan announced the official launch of the Hedayah Center, the first international center of excellence for countering violent extremism, based in Abu Dhabi and drawing on the resources and expertise of the GCTF membership. 
  • The GCTF adopted the Algiers Memorandum on Preventing and Denying the Benefits of Kidnapping for Ransom by Terrorists, a set of practical tools elaborated by experts from the GCTF membership and the United Nations in Algiers in April 2012 that will contribute to the international effort to crack down on the use of this pernicious tactic.
  • The GCTF adopted a Plan of Action on Victims of Terrorism, developed at a high-level conference in Madrid in July 2012 where GCTF members, victims of terrorism, and victims' associations identified training and capacity-building initiatives to support victims of terrorism.
  • In support of the GCTF's strategic priorities of strengthening civilian institutions to counter terrorism and countering violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, members committed to bilateral and multilateral capacity-building projects that will build on the $175 million of programming announced at the Forum's two previous ministerial meetings, and further underscored their commitment to support efforts to establish the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law in Tunisia by the end of 2013.

To learn more, click on these documents.

►Second Ministerial, 7 June 2012, Istanbul

►Launch Event, 22 September 2011, New York

 
Mission

The GCTF's overarching and long-term goal is to reduce the vulnerability of people everywhere to terrorism by effectively preventing, combating, and prosecuting terrorist acts and countering incitement and recruitment to terrorism.

It provides a venue for national CT officials and practitioners to meet with their counterparts from key countries in different regions to share CT experiences, expertise, strategies, capacity needs, and capacity-building programs. It prioritizes civilian capacity building in areas such as rule of law, border management, and countering violent extremism.

Members and Partners

The 30 founding members of the GCTF are: Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Relationship with the United Nations

The UN is a close partner of and participant in the GCTF and its activities. The GCTF serves as a mechanism for furthering the implementation of the universally-agreed UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and, more broadly, complements and reinforces existing multilateral CT efforts, starting with those of the United Nations.