From Monday to Thursday, hundreds of security experts, policy makers, researchers and a host of associated players will gather in Kenya’s capital Nairobi for the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
The agenda will encompass several critical sessions, starting with the Oversight and Accountability for Counterterrorism Operations Initiative Trans-Regional Group Meeting.
Civil society consultations and a side event on addressing the threat of terrorism in East Africa will follow.
The Director of Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Rosalind Nyawira described the upcoming forum co-chaired by Egypt and the European Union (EU) as a “timely and important event” for the country and the region as well in the wake of the evolving terrorism landscape.
“This unique forum accords practitioners from across the world an opportunity to develop and share effective interventions to respond to the complex, dynamic, and widespread threat of terrorism and violent extremism,” she said.
Kenya joined the GCTF in 2023 as part of the efforts to rally regional and international efforts in degrading the growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism in the region.
Kenya is among the countries in the East African region that has borne the brunt of terrorist attacks, particularly from the Somalia-based Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist outfit Al-Shabaab that has continued to wreak havoc in the region.
During the deliberations, the NCTC Director outlined the objectives, emphasizing the need for shared priorities, joint action plans, and the adoption of new initiatives to address emerging threats in the region.
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.
