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 Role of Civil Society in the Prosecution, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration of Former Terrorists

The Role of Civil Society in the Prosecution, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration of Former Terrorists

27 February 2024

On the margins of the GCTF’s 23rd Coordinating Committee Meeting, the EU and Kenya hosted consultations with Kenyan civil society representatives to explore opportunities for engaging civil society in the prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration of former terrorists.

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Empowering Practitioners and Policymakers to Strengthen Oversight and Accountability of Human Rights in Counterterrorism

Empowering Practitioners and Policymakers to Strengthen Oversight and Accountability of Human Rights in Counterterrorism

26 and 27 February 2024

The EU-led Oversight and Accountability Initiative hosted a transregional meeting convening experts from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia to inform an anticipated set of GCTF non-binding, practical recommendations on compliance with human rights in a counterterrorism context.

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The Convening Power of the West Africa Working Group

The Convening Power of the West Africa Working Group

26 February 2024

The West Africa Working Group held a side event on the margins of the GCTF’s 23rd Coordinating Committee Meeting to take stock of its achievements over the last 5 years. Regional partners explored how the Working Group’s regional meetings, supported by tailored national capacity-building activities, have benefited practitioners locally in their fight against terrorism, and how needs-focused regional events could further contribute to strengthening regional inter-agency and cross-border cooperation.

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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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First9Last

Activities

Second Detention and Reintegration Working Group - Plenary Meeting

Second Detention and Reintegration Working Group - Plenary Meeting

2-3 November 2015

Under the co-chairmanship of Australia and Indonesia, participants discussed the DR Working Group’s strategic priorities, considered ongoing and planned initiatives, and reviewed activities since the inaugural plenary meeting in Bali, Indonesia (August 2014). The meeting served as a forum to share challenges, concerns, experiences, expertise, and best practices in building capacity on managing and reintegrating terrorist inmates.

Discussions were broad ranging, covering issues such as prison security and risk management, countering radicalization in prisons, capacity building to manage terrorist inmates, and reintegrating rehabilitated terrorist detainees.

Examples of key cross-cutting themes from the meeting included:

  • Efforts to counter violent extremism (CVE), including through counter-narratives, could be increased inside correction facilities and extended to pre-detention areas.
  • Addressing core issues, including implementing good practices on securing, managing, rehabilitating and reintegrating terrorist offenders.

In addition, the Working Group conducted a desktop exercise that aimed to examine the characteristics of different types of terrorist inmates, including “Foreign Terrorist Fighters” (FTFs), and identify ways to tailor security and detainee management approaches to suit.

More links

Workshop on Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (RFTFs)

Workshop on Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (RFTFs)

TURIN - Italy - The GCTF’s Detention and Reintegration and Criminal Justice and Rule of Law Working Groups and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) teamed up with experts in Turin to discuss the ways forward on the rehabilitation and reintegration of returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (RFTFs).

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

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).

 GCTF Insights

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