19 September 2023
Vulnerable and under-regulated border regions offer opportunities for terrorist groups to engage in the trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW), ammunition, explosives, illicit goods, and personnel, which can be used or deployed to orchestrate attacks. While the international community has made significant progress to strengthen Border Security and Management (BSM) operations and practices, the dynamic and complex nature of known or suspected terrorist flows necessitates a comprehensive and holistic approach involving various stakeholders.
To promote an inclusive and collaborative approach toward border security, grounded in international human rights law, the GCTF Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group (co-chaired by Jordan and the United States) is partnering with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) through a comprehensive whole-of-UN strategy.
On the margins of the 22nd Coordinating Committee Meeting and the 13th Ministerial Meeting in New York, a side event was held to launch the Initiative. The side event was a collaboration between the GCTF #FTF Working Group (Co-Chairs Jordan, the United States), the GCTF Capacity Building in #WestAfrica Working Group (Co-Chairs Algeria, Germany) together with UNOCT.
The Initiative seeks to review the current good practices, and update and strengthen the existing GCTF Border Security Initiative (BSI) outlined in the 2016 Good Practices document as well as develop a comprehensive Training-of-Trainers Manual, while also acknowledging the evolving FTF travel threat landscape since its adoption.
The side event was a success. National authorities and the international counterterrorism community were able to discuss the expectations of the BSM Initiative, and set perimeters to the outcomes to assist the development of the subsequent activities.
In 2016, the GCTF Good Practices in the Area of the Border Security and Management in the Context of Counterterrorism and Stemming the Flow of Foreign Terrorist Fighters was endorsed which offers guidance and direction to governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and the private sector as they develop policies, guidelines, programs, and approaches to enhance BSM practices.