About the GCTF

The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) is an informal, apolitical, multilateral counterterrorism platform. It is small, nimble, inclusive, and consensus-based. Its overarching mission is to reduce the vulnerability of people worldwide to terrorism by mobilizing expertise and resources to prevent, combat, and prosecute terrorist acts and counter incitement and recruitment to terrorism. 

The Forum brings together policymakers and practitioners from around the world to share experiences and expertise, and to develop practical, publicly available tools and strategies on how to prevent and counter the evolving terrorist threat. The GCTF is currently co-chaired by Egypt and the European Union. 

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What is the GCTF?

News

The first workshop kicks off the development of the Addendum to the 2016 GCTF Good Practices in the Area of Border Security and Management (BSM)

The first workshop kicks off the development of the Addendum to the 2016 GCTF Good Practices in the Area of Border Security and Management (BSM)

22 February 2024

On 22 February 2024, the GCTF Co-Leads the United States and Jordan, together with UNOCT, held their first workshop of the new BSM Initiative to create an Addendum to the  2016 GCTF Good Practices in the Area of Border Security and Management. The Initiative aims to promote an inclusive and collaborative approach towards border security, grounded in international human rights law.

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Marking the GCTF’s P/CVE efforts on the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism.

Marking the GCTF’s P/CVE efforts on the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism.

12 February 2024

A spotlight on GCTF efforts on preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) conducive to terrorism on the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism.

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Participants spotlight local perspectives to further enhance the Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism (REMVE) Toolkit at the latest interactive two-day workshop

Participants spotlight local perspectives to further enhance the Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism (REMVE) Toolkit at the latest interactive two-day workshop

8 - 9 February 2024

The REMVE Initiative Leads, the United States and Norway, recently held a two-day workshop, hosted by the Netherlands, 8 – 9 February 2024, in The Hague. The interactive workshop brought a variety of stakeholders together to further enhance the REMVE Toolkit’s good practices and recommendations. The interactive tabletop exercises allowed participants to share more unique, local community-level perspectives during the discussions to help address the rapidly evolving REMVE threats conducive to terrorism.

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The second exploratory discussions delve deeper into the opportunities and challenges of new and emerging technologies in the area of border security and management

The second exploratory discussions delve deeper into the opportunities and challenges of new and emerging technologies in the area of border security and management

18 January 2024

To promote an inclusive and collaborative approach towards border security, grounded in international human rights law, the GCTF Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group (co-chaired by Jordan and the United States) is partnering with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in the Border Security and Management (BSM) Initiative. As part of this Initiative, a series of exploratory dialogues are being conducted with subject matter experts. On 18 January 2023, the second exploratory dialogue was held to garner insights from a diverse group of stakeholders on the opportunities and threats posed by technological advancements in border security and management.

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Activities

UN Counter-Terrorism Centre – GCTF Border Security Initiative - Second Regional Workshop on the Horn of Africa

UN Counter-Terrorism Centre – GCTF Border Security Initiative - Second Regional Workshop on the Horn of Africa

29-30 May 2016

The workshop provided an opportunity to discuss twelve draft good practices compiled as a result of previous meetings. 

Key themes of discussion included: 

  • While interagency cooperation is key for a successful border security and management (BSM) policy, governments should adopt tailored approaches on parameters to implement this cooperation. 
  • Lack of resources, threats to border communities emanating from FTFs, communities’ protection from terrorist groups and detachment of border communities in remote border areas from the wider community have been identified as key challenges in engagement with border communities and in the field of community border policing.
  • Governments might consider authorizing the local border agencies and liaison officers to interact with their counterparts on the other side of the border as a way of effective information exchange. 
  • Within the context of border surveillance, maritime borders need more attention.
  • Governments need to adopt a balanced approach while employing technology in the field of BSM.
  • Corruption and bribery have been identified as common risks which undermine overall efforts to devise and implement robust BSM policies.

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