Global Counterterrorism Forum Explained

The Global Counterterrorism Forum is an informal, apolitical, multilateral counter-terrorism platform

The GCTF's goal is to strengthen capabilities in order to develop a strategic, long-term approach to counter terrorism and prevent the violent extremist ideologies that underpin it. The GCTF's mission is to diminish terrorist recruitment and increase countries’ civilian capabilities for dealing with terrorist threats within their borders and regions.

The outcome documents of the forum are non-binding and not intended to create legal obligations for national governments.

History

The GCTF was founded in September 2011.^{[1] [2]}

In 2015, the GCTF established its headquarters in The Hague, The Netherlands.

On 1 January 2016, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism began hosting the "Administrative Unit" of the GCTF.^[3]

On 18 and 20 September 2023, the GCTF held a meeting in New York.^[4] This resulted in the addition of Kenya and Kuwait, the first ever since the forum's founding.

Structure and activities

Co-chairs

The GCTF has co-chairs, which serve for two-year terms. For the 2023–2025 period, the GCTF is co-chaired by the European Union and by Egypt.

Inspired institutions

The GCTF's members also established three "inspired institutions":

• Hedaydah, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, which focuses on preventing violent extremism. As of 2020, it has trained about 3,000 people.
• The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (or IIJ), based in Malta, which trains criminal justice officials.
• The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (or GCERF), based in Geneva, Switzerland, focuses on grassroots approaches to fighting terrorism.

Members

The 32 members of the GCTF are:^[5]

• Algeria
• Australia
• Canada
• China
• Colombia
• Denmark
• Egypt
• European Union
• France
• Germany
• India
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kenya
• Kuwait
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

Notes and References

1. Preparing the Global Counterterrorism Forum for the Next Decade . Rosand . Eric . August 2020 . United States Institute of Peace . 24 May 2024 . 13 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240313235816/https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/20200817-sr_476-preparing_the_global_counterterrorism_forum_for_the_next_decade-s.pdf . live .
2. Web site: GCTF: Global Counterterrorism Forum . 24 May 2024 . www.thegctf.org . 10 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231010210254/https://www.thegctf.org/Portals/1/GCTF_InfoSheet_EN_FINAL.pdf . live .
3. Web site: ICCT Hosts Administrative Unit of Global Counterterrorism Forum . 2024-05-24 . International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT . en . 2024-05-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524040645/https://www.icct.nl/multimedia/icct-hosts-administrative-unit-global-counterterrorism-forum . live .
4. Web site: EU co-chairs the GCTF high-level week to strengthen multilateral security and counterterrorism efforts EEAS . 2024-05-24 . www.eeas.europa.eu . en . 2024-05-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524040631/https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-co-chairs-gctf-high-level-week-strengthen-multilateral-security-and-counterterrorism-efforts_en . live .
5. Web site: Members . 2024-05-24 . www.thegctf.org . 2024-05-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524040631/https://www.thegctf.org/Who-we-are/Structure/Members . live .