Cairo, Egypt - CCCPA conducted an expert workshop titled “Defeating Terrorism in an Era of Cascading Risks: Perspectives from Africa”, on 8 and 9 December 2021 in Cairo, as part of the preparatory process for the Third Edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development.

The workshop aimed to examine the international legal framework for counter-terrorism established by the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) in light of the challenges and trends that emerged in the 20 years following, with a particular focus on the African continent.

On his part, Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director-General of CCCPA and Executive Director of the Aswan Forum Secretariat, highlighted the growing threat that terrorism poses to the entire African continent, and its severe and far-reaching repercussions on peace and security. He also mentioned that the Aswan Forum since its First Edition tackled the issue of terrorism highlighting the need for “a comprehensive approach that is not solely limited to the security dimensions, but also includes the economic and development dimensions.”

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Mohamed Gad, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the African Union, underscored the “imperative of utilizing innovative ways to ensure that counter-terrorism efforts are effective, adopting a post-territorial defeat approach, building effective state institutions as a prerequisite for counter-terrorism efforts, and adopting comprehensive and holistic approaches that address the root causes of conflict.”

The workshop featured recorded keynote messages by a number of high-level officials, including Michèle Coninsx, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED); and El-Ghassim Wane, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

The opening panel featured Ambassador Mohamed Fouad, Director of the International Counter-Terrorism Unit at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Bashir Ibrahim Ma’aji, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Nigeria in Egypt; Ambassador Mohamed Nasr, Director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Egypt’s former ambassador to Somalia; as well as Cristina Albertin, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Representative at the Regional Office for the Middle East & North Africa.

The sessions covered a wide array of issues relating to the rising terrorist threat in Africa and beyond. In particular, the workshop examined the implications of the shifting global terrorism dynamics on the African continent. It also discussed the interplay between terrorism and other security threats and cascading risks such as organized crime, climate change, forced displacement and the global health crisis. Finally, the sessions drew on the lessons learned and good practices emerging from different nationally owned programs adopting holistic and integrated approaches to defeat terrorism and enhance long-term institutional and community resilience.

Partners of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development include the Government of Japan and the African Development Bank through UNDP.