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 GCTF Initiative to Operationalize the Berlin Memorandum.

The GCTF Initiative to Operationalize the Berlin Memorandum.

7 March 2023

The impact of the rapid evolution and proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are far-reaching. The launch event of the Initiative, “Operationalize the Berlin Memorandum”, led by the United Kingdom and United States, will help bring to life the twenty-six recommendations within the Berlin Memorandum.

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UNOCT Briefing to GCTF Members on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets, the Antalya Memorandum and Possible Avenues of Cooperation

UNOCT Briefing to GCTF Members on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets, the Antalya Memorandum and Possible Avenues of Cooperation

28 February 2023

Critical infrastructures across the world are becoming more vulnerable to terrorist attacks impacting public and private facilities such as transportation and energy, as well as schools and marketplaces. To discuss this threat in more detail, we partnered with the UNOCT to deliver a joint ‘Briefing for GCTF Member States on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets, the Antalya Memorandum and Possible Avenues of Cooperation’.

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Awareness Raising and Operationalizing the GCTF “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism” (REMVE) Toolkit

Awareness Raising and Operationalizing the GCTF “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism” (REMVE) Toolkit

21 February 2023

Today, the launch event for the Awareness Raising and Operationalizing GCTF “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism (REMVE) Toolkit” Initiative took place. The Initiative Leads, the United States and Norway, focused on building awareness and providing guidance for practitioners on how best to operationalize the recommendations within the toolkit.   Read more »
A Multitude of P/CVE Perspectives

A Multitude of P/CVE Perspectives

14 February 2023

The Countering Violent Extremism Working Group (CVE WG) hosted its fourth workshop under its Initiative on Funding and Enabling P/CVE initiatives at the Community Level, supported by GCERF. This session builds on the third workshop, highlighting knowledge and best practice sharing in funding and enabling local P/CVE initiatives.

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Activities

Sahel Region Moving Forward on Border Security

Sahel Region Moving Forward on Border Security

11-12 May 2016

The workshop built on the UNCCT-UNCTED 2013 Rabat Conference, the Inaugural Conference of the UNCCT-GCTF BSI in El Jadida (July 2105), as well as good practices compiled at the experts meeting in Cairns, Australia (August 2015), in Vienna, Austria (September 2015) and the UNCCT-GCTF BSI First Regional Workshop on the Horn of Africa in Nairobi, Kenya (December 2015). 

The objective of the workshop was to bring together border officials from countries in the region and international border security and management experts to further discuss identified challenges and potential good practices in the area of cross-border cooperation. The discussions helped the development of a global non-binding good practices document. These good practices will be presented and adopted at the Tenth GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting and the Seventh Ministerial Plenary Meeting in New York in September 2016. 

Key themes of discussion included:

  • Improved border security and management will impact the national security of countries in the Sahel region. 

  • Interagency and cross-border cooperation is key for an effective BSM policy. 

  • There is need for improved capacities and coordination of capacity-building programs in the field of BSM in the Sahel region.

  • Improved emphasis on legal framework and administrative mechanisms at national level is key for a structured national BSM approach. 

  • Border demarcation issues affect overall border security and management measures. 

  • Engagement with border communities is a key contributor to effective border security and management.

More links

Expert Workshop on the Implementation of Rabat Good Practices 12-15 in the Sahel Region

Expert Workshop on the Implementation of Rabat Good Practices 12-15 in the Sahel Region

ALGIERS - Algeria - The Co-Chairs of the Sahel Capacity Building (Sahel) Working Group, Algeria and Canada, in collaboration with the Co-Chairs of the Criminal Justice and Rule of Law (CJ-ROL) Working Group, Egypt and the United States (US), organized a workshop focusing on the Rabat Memorandum’s good practices related to legal frameworks as a way to promote rule of law-compliant responses to terrorism in the Sahel region. 

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

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

NAIROBI, Kenya – Under the auspices of the joint United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) – GCTF Border Security Initiative (BSI), the Government of Kenya hosted the first Regional Workshop on the Horn of Africa (HOA), on 3-4 December 2015, in Nairobi.

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