The GCTF is an outward-looking multilateral counterterrorism platform. Its many and varied partnerships contribute to the Forum’s overall success and its goal to more effectively prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Although the GCTF focuses on strengthening counterterrorism civilian capabilities, national strategies, action plans and training modules, its outputs could have a wide range of applications, including in the military domain.
NATO’s work on counterterrorism focuses on improving awareness of the threat, developing capabilities to prepare and respond, and enhancing engagement with partner countries and other international actors. Engagement with partners ensures complementarity and avoids duplication, which is why NATO
is making practical use of GCTF outputs.
In October 2020, NATO adopted a Battlefield Evidence Policy. When beginning its work on this policy, the GCTF Abuja Recommendations on the Collection, Use and Sharing of Evidence for Purposes of Criminal Prosecution of Terrorist Suspects is one of the sources that informed NATO’s approach. NATO’s Battlefield Evidence Policy enables NATO troops to collect information and material during operations and missions and contribute to the prosecution of foreign terrorist fighters.
NATO benefitted from participating in meetings of the GCTF Initiative to Counter Unmanned Aerial System Threats. Its Countering Unmanned Aircraft System Working Group (C-UAS WG) used the GCTF’s Berlin Memorandum on Good Practices for Countering Terrorist Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems to build awareness about UAS and to enhance understanding of best practices in the civilian domain. The C-UAS WG is a forum for NATO Allies to cooperate on practical solutions, to promote technical and operational interoperability, to coordinating innovative projects, and to perform trials and exercises.
The GCTF Good Practices in the Area of Border Security and Management in the Context of Counterterrorism and Stemming the Flow of Foreign Terrorist Fighters have served as a reference document for NATO to conduct scenario-based discussions, to assess partners’ gaps, and to understand priorities. This allows NATO to identify opportunities for cooperation and areas of assistance where NATO can provide support.
The GCTF and NATO both play important roles in the international community’s fight against terrorism. They also have ten members in common. In January 2020, the GCTF Co-Chairs, Canada and Morocco, briefed NATO’s Political Committee on the role and the work of the Forum.
Read more here about what NATO is doing to counter the threat of terrorism.