From 5-7 December, the West Africa Working Group (WAWG) held their second Disrupt the Networks event with a focus on preventing terrorist groups from acquiring Small Arms and Light Weapons, Ammunitions and Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the context of terrorist violence in West Africa. The meeting took place in Banjul, The Gambia. The regional event followed a previous 'Disrupt the Networks' event, which took place in Lomé, Togo, in June 2023, that focused on countering terrorist Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) networks.

The FTF Working Group, Co-Chaired by Jordan and the United States, with the support of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) as implementing partner, arranged an in-person event where interactive simulations allowed practitioners and experts at the working-level to engage on the topic to uncover the challenges and dilemmas practitioners are faced with when reintegrating FTFs and their family members into their local communities.

GCTF CJROL Working Group and the IIJ’s CT PHARE facility, collaborate on the right to a fair trial, to be able to examine an accused person’s journey along the entire justice chain. The side event was held on margins of the 22^nd Coordinating Committee Meeting and the 13^th Ministerial Meeting in New York, where insights were shared from the recently held survey with experts and practitioners.

There is a growing concern of increased polarization in our societies and its connection to violent extremism. To tackle this phenomenon, useful tools and guidance were developed to support capacity building and stronger cooperation at the national and local levels through two initiatives led by the GCTF CVE Working Groups Co-Chairs, Australia and Indonesia. They were presented and endorsed by the GCTF Members during the 22nd GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting (18 September) and the 13th  Ministerial Plenary Meeting (20 September).

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.

The Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Working Group hosted its sixth workshop under its Initiative on Funding and Enabling P/CVE initiatives at the Community Level, supported by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) as implementing partner. This session builds on the previous workshop, highlighting knowledge and best practice sharing in funding and enabling local P/CVE initiatives, while working towards the drafting of the framework document of recommendations.

Rehabilitating and reintegrating FTFs and their family members is complex on social, security and human rights dimensions. To gain a better understanding, collective dialogue and information exchange on capacity building and on the strengthening of good practices tailored to local contexts and human security perspectives, is essential.

On 2 May, an interactive, in-person side event was made possible by the Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group (FTF WG), co-chaired by the United States and Jordan, and the Countering Violent Extremism Working Group (CVE WG), co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia, on the margins of the 21^st  GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting in Cairo, Egypt.

Judicial independence includes the duty and ability of a judge to decide each case on the basis of an objective evaluation of evidence that is presented, and an impartial application of the law, without the influence of outside factors – to ensure that the fundamental rights of all parties to a case have been fully respected. The Plenary Meeting of the GCTF Criminal Justice and Rule of Law (CJ-ROL) Working Group is the first under the Working Group Co-Chairs, Italy and Nigeria. The meeting provides an opportunity for the Co-Chairs to present the Working Group’s main priority areas, and for the participants to reflect on current practices and provide strategic guidance.

The Countering Violent Extremism Working Group (CVE WG) hosted its fifth workshop under its Initiative on Funding and Enabling P/CVE initiatives at the Community Level, supported by GCERF as implementing partner. This session builds on the fourth workshop that highlighted knowledge and best practice sharing in the funding and enablement of local P/CVE initiatives.