In pursuit of providing women with tools to be change agents within their communities, GCERF, a GCTF Inspired Institution, introduced the Carol Bellamy Women Entrepreneurs Against Violent Extremism (WEAVE) Fellowship in Tunisia. The stories of Haïfa and Abir demonstrate the fellowship’s impact helping women build their own economic opportunities.
An ASEAN workshop series on aviation security, which focused on preventing foreign terrorist fighters travel, made practical use of the GCTF Counterterrorism Watchlisting Toolkit. Through interactive panel discussions and group simulations, participants learned more about creating, executing and maintaining a successful watchlist.
The IIJ Juvenile Justice Initiative supports not only the individual practitioners who take part in capacity-building workshops but also their national institutions. Recently, IIJ training on juvenile justice programs as an alternative to prosecution so changed the perspectives of two alumnae from Thailand that they inspired training and change at the national level.
In recent years, violent extremism conducive to terrorism has significantly increased in West Africa and the Sahel region. The GCTF Capacity-Building in the West Africa Region Working Group convened a virtual workshop to discuss this subject focusing on narratives, mindsets and behaviors.
The GCTF Criminal Justice and Rule of Law Working Group organized a one-off meeting to explore the relevance of transitional justice approaches in contexts with a terrorism dimension, and to look at opportunities and challenges for how transitional justice approaches may contribute to a comprehensive, rights-based, rule-of-law approach to foreign terrorist fighters.
The GCTF Countering Violent Extremism Working Group, co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia, held the first in a series of workshops under the Initiative on the Practical Use of the GCTF Memorandum on Good Practices on National-Local Cooperation in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. The Strong Cities Network is the implementing partner.
The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) is leading efforts to harmonize the processing of mutual legal assistance (MLA) and extradition requests in East and West Africa. Working with Central Authority practitioners, the IIJ is delivering sustainable impact in an area that is crucial for effective international judicial cooperation.
The GCTF Capacity-Building in the East Africa Region Working Group convened its Fourth Plenary Meeting focused on the nexus between terrorism and transnational organized crime. The discussion enabled a better understanding of emerging trends, the identification of lessons learned, good practices and existing gaps to tackle the nexus.