Plans are on top to host a global forum in Nairobi whose mission is to diminish terrorist recruitment and increase countries’ civilian capabilities for dealing with terrorist threats within their borders and regions.
The four-day Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) 23rd Coordinating Committee will be held in Nairobi from Monday, February 26, according to the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) director, Dr Rosalind Nyawira.
The forum seeks to among others promote a strategic, long-term approach to prevent and counter terrorism and the violent extremist ideologies that underpin it.
Dr Nyawira said Friday that the GCTF has for over a decade led global efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
“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.
During the deliberations, the parties shall aim to agree on shared priorities, joint action in degrading the threat in the region and adopting new initiatives that address emerging issues.
Kenya and Kuwait are jointly bidding to co-chair the Forum’s East Africa Working Group which coordinates between the Forum and our partners in the region.
Dr Nyawira also said Kenya and Germany have also proposed to lead an initiative that focuses on the nexus between climate change and violent extremism.
“We are persuaded that the climate crisis has exacerbated the factors conducive to terrorism including underdevelopment, forced displacement, food insecurity and resource competition,” she said.
The meeting will also support the practitioners themselves, listening directly to and engaging people confronted with numerous challenges and complexities on the ground.
It will also bring together experts and practitioners from across the world’s regions to identify and address emerging trends in the global terrorist threat and develop measures to strengthen counter-terrorism civilian capabilities, national strategies, action plans, and training modules.
The GCTF was set up as a multilateral Forum in which diplomats engage practitioners, civil society, and support policymakers.
“We really welcome Kenya’s active engagement within the Forum and especially their willingness to take on more responsibility within the East Africa Working Group,” they said.
The meeting will also include the EU-led GCTF Oversight and Accountability for Counterterrorism Operations Initiative Transregional Group Meeting.
According to GCTF, the initiative will finalize a set of recommendations to assist with developing a GCTF Framework Document for good practices related to the role and responsibilities of oversight and accountability mechanisms in counterterrorism.
The EU and Kenya will co-host civil society consultations focusing on perspectives and reflections from the ground on issues surrounding prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration, Ondrej Simek, Deputy Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union said.
Civil society has deliberately been involved since respect for the rule of law, human rights and the principles of democracy are crucial in addressing the ideologies and driving forces behind emergent extremism.
The landmark side event will be an engagement between GCTF Members and Regional States as well as representatives of regional mechanisms that coordinate counterterrorism and prevention efforts.
It will involve discussions on al-Shabaab’s terrorism financing and propaganda and good practices in prevention and countering violent extremism, which will later frame priorities for the East Africa Working Group.
Other members expected to attend the meeting are Heddayah and the Institute for International Justice and the Rule of Law (IJ) – collectively known as the “GCTF-Inspired Institutions” and by the UN Global Counterterrorism Coordination Compact.
The GCTF Co-Chairs provide overall strategic direction and management of the Forum’s activities. They serve a term of two years, which is renewable.
Egypt and the European Union are the current GCTF Co-Chairs for the term 2022-2024 and will extend their mandate for two years until 2026.
Kenya has been a victim of terrorism in the region and the meeting would be a good venue to share ideas on the impact of the crime.