16 October 2025
Terrorism is increasingly a transnational issue. Transcending borders, subregions, and continents, the growing threat necessitates a coordinated response in the form of resilient international cooperation. The ability to collect, analyze, and share evidence across borders is indispensable to building compelling legal cases based on solid evidence. One such resource that provides a valuable framework to strengthen these efforts is the GCTF Abuja Recommendations on the Collection, Use and Sharing of Evidence for Purposes of Criminal Prosecution of Terrorist Suspects (Abuja Recommendations).
The operationalization of the Abuja Recommendations is thus paramount to improving the ability to investigate and prosecute terrorist offences, bolstering judicial cooperation when countering terrorism in the process. To that end, the East Africa Capacity-Building Working Group (EA WG) – co-chaired by Kenya and Kuwait – and the Criminal Justice and Rule of Law Working Group (CJ-ROL) – co-chaired by Italy and Nigeria and supported by the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) – organized an in-person expert meeting in Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Gathering government officials and intergovernmental organizations along with relevant global specialists and practitioners, the meeting focused on the operationalization of the Abuja Recommendations 1-9. Participants addressed law enforcement, judicial cooperation, and the crucial role of forensic evidence. Building on the outcomes of work undertaken by regional and international organizations, the meeting also provided participants with the opportunity to share relevant experiences, identify persistent challenges, and develop clear strategies for improvement as they relate to legal frameworks, standardized procedures, and inter-agency coordination both domestically and internationally.
In addition, discussions centered around how the Abuja Recommendations could be operationalized or reinforced within participants’ domestic and international legal, institutional, and cooperation frameworks. Part of the conversation focused on addressing discrepancies on the ground when it comes to judicial cooperation and forensic capabilities along with the challenges faced by authorities due to gender-related considerations.
Strengthening judicial procedures, investigations, and prosecutions was identified as a priority area in both of the EA WG’s and CJ-ROL’s respective 2024-2026 Work Plans. Under the mandate of the Working Groups’ co-chairs, this thematic area will continue to be supported in the face of the ever-growing threat of transnational terrorism.