Terrorism and counter-terrorism measures impact women, men, girls, and boys differently. Women and girls often face compounded vulnerabilities and harms. This year¡¯s International Women¡¯s Day (#IWD2026), under the theme ¡°Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,¡± emphasizes the need to dismantle discriminatory laws, strengthen legal protections, and promote survivor-centered justice systems that address structural barriers to redress.

Consistent with this theme, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT prioritizes the rights of women and girls in efforts to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism (CT/PCVE). In practice, this means advancing gender-responsive, victim-centred approaches that strengthen institutional legitimacy, and ensuring that counter-terrorism responses do not perpetuate harm. It also means recognizing women and girls not only as victims, but as rights-holders and agents of change whose dignity, agency, and safety must guide every aspect of our work.

Guided by the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly for its subsequent reviews, as well as the adopted by the Security Council, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT is committed to advancing women¡¯s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in CT/PCVE efforts ¨C including within institutions such as intelligence agencies and the justice sector.

Through its Gender Mainstreaming Policy and Action Plan, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT ensures that gender-responsive, victim-centered, and human-rights-based approaches guide the Office¡¯s work. Across its programmes, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT supports requesting Member States and other partners in integrating these approaches within their CT/PCVE efforts.