麻豆传媒

麻豆传媒 Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through its Gender Unit, convened two Training of Trainers (ToT) on gender mainstreaming in counter-terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism (CT/PCVE) policies and programmes in Nairobi, Kenya from 18 to 28 February.  They were organized in partnership with the Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and in collaboration with the Kenyan National Center for Counter-terrorism (NCTC).

The workshops were designed for governmental and non-governmental actors and are part of UNOCT’s Gender and Identity Factors Platform (), which is generously supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). They aim to strengthen participants’ knowledge of gender-responsive and intersectional approaches to CT/PCVE. By equipping gender experts with the necessary skills to train government officials, civil society organizations, and practitioners in their home countries, this initiative seeks to enhance the capacity of national institutions to integrate gender-sensitive approaches into policy development, implementation, and monitoring of CT/PCVE efforts. Participants included 19 governmental and 22 non-governmental representatives from East African Member States, namely Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Officials from UNOCT, IGAD, Canada and the NCTC opened the event on 18 February.

In a recorded message, Steven Siqueira, Deputy-Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center of UNOCT underlined the importance of gender-responsive approaches in CT/PCVE in line with the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. “This [workshop] not only supports the application of gender responsive strategies, but also fosters a community of practice, where good practices can be shared and applied to real-world challenges in order to make a real difference in the lives of women, girls, men, and boys.”

H.E. Christopher Thornley, High Commissioner of Canada in Nairobi emphasized Canada’s commitment to gender mainstreaming with an intersectional approach. He explained, “Canada has been supportive of UNOCT’s ground-breaking Gender and Identity Factors Platform, which has significant potential to support sustainable and effective counterterrorism solutions, including across the African continent.”

Mr. Josephat Onyari, IGAD Director of Administration and Finance, reiterated IGAD’s commitment to promoting gender-sensitive and intersectional approaches to CT/PCVE in the region. He emphasized, “The IGAD Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism remains committed in supporting its Member States through strategic partnerships as with the UNOCT to appreciate the need to adopt comprehensive and intersectional approaches that integrate gender considerations into CT/PCVE.

Mr. Kibiego Kigen, Director of the NCTC, underscored Kenya’s dedication to integrating gender considerations into national counter-terrorism efforts. He highlighted that in an ever-evolving and dynamic space where terrorism and violent extremism threats exist, measures and responses ought to be developed proactively. He further noted that understanding gender dynamics allows security actors and stakeholders to develop targeted responses that address the unique needs of different gender segments in PCVE and accentuated the integration of gender in the revised 2025 National Strategy on Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism (NSPCVE).

The digital was launched in June 2023 to advance gender and intersectional considerations in CT/PCVE efforts through knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and policy support.