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.

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.

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.

The GCTF FTF Working Group Co-Chairs, Jordan and the United States, in partnership with the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea 2023 Co-Chairs, Côte D'Ivoire and Germany, held a two-day, interactive “Operationalizing the Prevention and Interdiction of Maritime Terrorist Travel in West Africa” workshop, that involving panel discussions and table-top exercises with a wide range of stakeholders, and concluded with a visit to the Port of Dakar, Senegal.

From 5-7 December, the West Africa Working Group (WAWG) held their second Disrupt the Networks event with a focus on preventing terrorist groups from acquiring Small Arms and Light Weapons, Ammunitions and Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the context of terrorist violence in West Africa. The meeting took place in Banjul, The Gambia. The regional event followed a previous 'Disrupt the Networks' event, which took place in Lomé, Togo, in June 2023, that focused on countering terrorist Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) networks.

The United Kingdom and the United States are hosting a series of operationalization webinars as part the GCTF Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems and New, Emerging, and Disruptive Technologies Initiative. The third virtual workshop looking into the benefits and challenges of emerging technologies on Unmanned Aerial Systems was held recently, where simulations helped bring to life the twenty-six recommendations of the Berlin Memorandum.

Education as a universal value transcends cultures and contexts and can therefore be a vehicle in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) conducive to terrorism efforts and interventions. The GCTF Education and P/CVE Initiative, led by the European Union and Morocco, supported by the GCTF CVE working group, with Hedayah as implementing partner, Launched the GCTF Education and P/CVE Initiative which seeks to build on, improve and make more current the good practices and recommendations as shared in the Abu Dhabi Memorandum.

In a rapidly evolving world, the challenges of border security and management have become more complex than ever before. International terrorism, transnational crime, and the movement of foreign terrorist fighters have necessitated a comprehensive approach to safeguard borders. The GCTF Border Security and Management (BSM) Initiative Leads, Jordan, the United States and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism organized the First BSM Exploratory Dialogue: Integrating and Promoting Human Rights and Gender-Sensitive Approaches.

Building on the success of previous workshops and engagements, the GCTF Foreign Terrorist Fighter (FTF) Working Group Co-Chairs, Jordan and the United States, organized a two-day, interactive workshop focused on raising awareness and helping put into action the recommendations shared in the GCTF Counterterrorism Watchlisting Toolkit with focus on the countries located in the Western Hemisphere.