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. The GCTF is currently co-chaired by Egypt and the European Union. 

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What is the GCTF?

News

Statement from the Co-Chairs - 22nd GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting

Statement from the Co-Chairs - 22nd GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting

18 September 2023

GCTF Members welcome new members Kenya and Kuwait, agree to reinvigorate the Forum, review its working methods and explore ways to further enhance GCTF resources and actions.  Read more »
The 22nd Coordinating Committee meeting on 18 September welcomed Kenya and Kuwait to the Forum, and focused on community and local action and leadership

The 22nd Coordinating Committee meeting on 18 September welcomed Kenya and Kuwait to the Forum, and focused on community and local action and leadership

18 September 2023

The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) held its bi-annual Coordinating Committee Meeting on 18 September 2023 in New York. The Forum welcomed two new members, Kenya and Kuwait, in the first-ever expansion of the Forum since its establishment in 2011. Frontline leaders from Iraq, Kenya and Morocco shared much needed insights on fostering resilience in local communities and in driving positive change. Members launched two pivotal documents strengthening national-local cooperation and promoting the work of local leaders and communities in counterterrorism and preventing and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE).

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UNOCT Expert Briefing on “The GCTF Antalya Memorandum on the Protection of Soft Targets in a Counterterrorism Context: Key Areas of Interest Six Years After its Adoption”

UNOCT Expert Briefing on “The GCTF Antalya Memorandum on the Protection of Soft Targets in a Counterterrorism Context: Key Areas of Interest Six Years After its Adoption”

05 September 2023

Since January 2023, over 40 terrorist attacks have happened against ‘soft’ targets impacting public and private facilities around the world, mostly in Africa and Asia. Building on the previous briefings, this expert briefing focused on assessing the adoption of the good practices of the GCTF Antalya Memorandum six years on. 

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Disrupt the Networks: Preventing and Countering the Acquisition and Use of Improvised Explosive Devices by Terrorist Groups in West Africa

Disrupt the Networks: Preventing and Countering the Acquisition and Use of Improvised Explosive Devices by Terrorist Groups in West Africa

20 - 22 June 2023

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have become a weapon of choice for terrorist groups in West Africa. They are simple to design, and their components remain cheap and easily accessible. The consequence is a steadily increasing number of IED attacks, harming innocent civilians. For regional governments, effectively responding to IED attacks is challenging due to their complex networks and illicit supply chains. To encourage dialogue and best practice sharing, a regional, three-day, in-person meeting, ‘Preventing and Countering the Acquisition and Use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by Terrorist Groups in West Africa’ was held, led by the West Africa Working Group Co-Chairs, Algeria, and Germany.

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Activities

First GCTF Regional Expert Meeting on the Policy Toolkit on the Zurich-London Recommendations on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism Online

First GCTF Regional Expert Meeting on the Policy Toolkit on the Zurich-London Recommendations on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism Online

6 March 2019

The toolkit provides policy- and decision-makers, as well as other governmental experts, guidance on good governmental practices, case studies, and references to existing international and regional initiatives and practices on P/CVE and countering terrorism online. It further outlines means to efficiently and sustainably collaborate with information and communication technology (ICT) companies and civil society organizations based on shared responsibilities, while ensuring that any policy is respectful of human rights and the rule of law, and is context-specific and gender-sensitive. The toolkit was be developed in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) during the course of a research phase and regional workshops in order to draw upon and collect experiences of GCTF Members. The toolkit is also intended to be of use to non-members interested in P/CVE and countering terrorism online.

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 GCTF Insights

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