- Title
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT 2024 Civil Society Roundtable Series: ¡°Engaging Civil Society in its Crucial Role to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism in Africa¡±
- Event Date
- 5 Aug 2024
- Time
- From 9:00am to 5:00pm (America/New York)
On 5 August 2024, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT) held the first of its 2024 series of Civil Society Roundtables on ¡°Engaging Civil Society in its Crucial Role to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism in Africa¡±. Gathering 27 representatives from 27 civil society organizations (CSOs) based in or working on Africa, including youth-led and women-led CSOs, this roundtable provided insights on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT¡¯s current priorities and its ongoing and planned engagement with diverse civil society organizations. This event focused on the vital contributions that civil society make in the collective efforts by Member States, United Nations entities, regional and international organizations, and other stakeholders at countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism conducive to terrorism in Africa.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ
Mr. Mauro Miedico, Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCCT) within Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT led the roundtable. He briefed civil society organizations on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT's recent policy and programmatic initiatives and emphasized the Office¡¯s commitment to a whole-of-society approach to counter-terrorism, as underscored in the eighth review of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. He reiterated Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT¡¯s commitment to include participants from grassroots organizations, youth-led, and women-led organizations that are often marginalized in high-level discussions.
The event featured two key themes: Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Border Security and Management (BSM) in Africa. Representatives from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT's CFT and BSM programmes presented their initiatives, highlighting the crucial role of civil society in these areas and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT¡¯s efforts towards inclusive, human rights-based and gender-responsive approaches.
Participants shared their thoughts, feedback, and concerns on these strategic priorities and capacity-building initiatives, ensuring that their perspectives are incorporated into Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT¡¯s programmatic and policy work. The Civil Society Roundtable Series provides civil society actors with a safe space to engage in open and honest conversation with senior officials at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT, thus supporting a whole-of-society approach to preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism.
