2 June 2016
The meeting, Co-Chaired by Turkey and the European Union, brought together 70 representatives from GCTF Members, non-members such as Norway and Israel, HOA countries including Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen, United Nations bodies, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the three GCTF-inspired institutions GCERF, Hedayah and IIJ.
Participants discussed the current state of counterterrorism (CT) and countering violent extremism (CVE) initiatives in the region and exchanged views on preventing violent extremism (PVE) and CVE initiatives, taking into account the UN Plan of Action on PVE that the UN briefly presented.
Key themes of the discussion included:
- Terrorism threat faced by the region.
- The continued need for coordination of CVE and CT activities and capacity-building programs.
- Further linking of the GCTF initiatives with the HOA region.