Conference of West African Experts on Countering Terrorist Threats to Vulnerable Targets
As part of the Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats to Vulnerable Targets, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) hosted a Conference of West African Experts on Countering Terrorist Threats to Vulnerable Targets from 11 to 13 June at its Programme Office in Rabat, Morocco.
The opening session featured remarks from a representative of the Kingdom of Morocco, as host country; H.E. Christophe Lecourtier, Ambassador of France to Morocco, as funding partner; and Mr. Ignacio Ib¨¢?ez, Head of the UNOCT Madrid Office and Programme Coordinator.
The Conference aimed to facilitate the exchange of good practices and expertise among West African countries, strengthen regional and international cooperation, and promote coordinated strategies to prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks targeting vulnerable sites, including critical infrastructure and public places.
The event gathered 23 senior officials from key ministries and law enforcement agencies of Benin, C?te d¡¯Ivoire, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, and Togo. Experts from the French and Spanish Embassies in Morocco, the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), Spain¡¯s National Centre for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure (CNPIC) and National Police, the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUCTC), private firm Venable, UNOCT, the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), UN Tourism, and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) also contributed to the discussions.
The sessions covered a wide range of topics including regional terrorist trends, the protection of critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, public-private partnerships, and operational coordination. A tabletop exercise conducted in collaboration with the UNOCT Autonomous and Remotely Operated Systems (AROS) Programme provided West African participants with an opportunity to evaluate their crisis response capabilities and identify areas for improvement in the protection of public spaces and vital infrastructure.
The Conference highlighted the need to integrate human rights and gender perspectives into the counter-terrorism programming and underscored the importance of inclusive and rights-based security approaches.
The Conference was funded by the Government of France, with additional support from the Governments of Canada, Italy, and Morocco through the UNOCT Programme Office in Rabat.
