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

Second Detention and Reintegration Working Group - Plenary Meeting

Second Detention and Reintegration Working Group - Plenary Meeting

2-3 November 2015

SYDNEY - Australia - On 2-3 November 2015, Australia hosted the GCTF’s Detention and Reintegration Working Group second plenary meeting in Sydney.

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Detention and Reintegration Working Group - Workshop on Education, Life Skill Courses and Vocational Training for Incarcerated Violent Extremist Offenders

Detention and Reintegration Working Group - Workshop on Education, Life Skill Courses and Vocational Training for Incarcerated Violent Extremist Offenders

7-8 October 2015

NAIROBI - Kenya - On 7-8 October 2015, the government of Kenya hosted the GCTF’s Detention and Reintegration (DR) Working Group’s “Workshop on Education, Life Skill Courses and Vocational Training for Incarcerated Violent Extremist Offenders.” The workshop was co-chaired by the governments of Australia and Indonesia, and was co-organized by the Global Center on Cooperative Security (Global Center).

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Sixth GCTF Ministerial Plenary Meeting

Sixth GCTF Ministerial Plenary Meeting

27 September 2015

NEW YORK - United States - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkey Feridun Sinirlioğlu co-chaired the Sixth Ministerial Plenary Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum on 27 September 2015, in New York.

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Eighth GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting

Eighth GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting

26 September 2015

NEW YORK - United States - On 26 September 2015, the GCTF Coordinating Committee convened in New York for its eighth meeting. Members reviewed the Forum’s strategic priorities, considered ongoing and planned initiatives, and reviewed activities since the previous GCTF Coordinating Committee meeting held on 6-7 May 2015 in Doha, Qatar.

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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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