On Friday, 26 June 2026, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), are co-organizing a side event on ¡°Beyond Tokenism: Women Leading Prevention, Justice and Policy in Counter-Terrorism from 10:00 ¨C 11:15 EDT at United Nations Headquarters in New York in Conference Room 11. The event is supported by Member State partners: the Government of Canada, the European Union, the Republic of Costa Rica, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Kenya, as well as the CSO Coalition on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism.
This side event will bring together Member States from various regions, civil society actors, and United Nations entities to discuss how to strengthen women¡¯s leadership and full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in counter-terrorism efforts.
Drawing on evidence and practice, the event will highlight the critical roles women play as policymakers, justice and security professionals, researchers, and leaders of civil society organizations working on prevention, community engagement, and access to justice. Despite these contributions, women remain underrepresented, and gender-responsive approaches are applied inconsistently across counter-terrorism frameworks. The discussion will therefore focus on exchanging experiences, highlighting good practices, and identifying practical recommendations to advance women¡¯s full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in counter-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism.
By convening policymakers, practitioners, and civil society leaders, the event aims to strengthen collective action and promote gender-responsive approaches that enhance the legitimacy, effectiveness, and human rights compliance of counter-terrorism policies and practices. Register for the event .
Draft agenda
0:00 ¨C 10:15 Introduction and Opening Remarks
Moderator: Ms. Annick Hiensch Gender Adviser, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism
- Mr. Alexandre Zouev, Acting Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism
- Ms. Natalia Gherman, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate
- H.E. Ambassador Michael Gort, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
10:15 - 10:40 Session 1: From Policy to Practice - Advancing Women¡¯s Leadership in Counter-Terrorism
This panel will bring together representatives from Member States, and practitioners to highlight women¡¯s participation in counter-terrorism institutions.
Moderator: Ms. Aleksandra Dier, Head, Gender and Children Unit, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED)
- Mr. Kibiego Kigen, Director General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Republic of Kenya
- Ms. Anna Strzaska, European External Action Service Special Envoy for Counter-Terrorism
- Major Kareema Shannag, Head of the Women¡¯s Police Section, Special Branch, Public Security Directorate, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
10:40 ¨C 11:05 Session 2: Women-led Civil Society on the Frontlines
This panel will feature women leaders from civil society organizations working on CT/PCVE, highlighting community-level prevention, resilience-building, and access to justice.
Moderator: Ms. Beth Alexion, Coalition Coordinator, CSO Coalition on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism
- Ms. Ambika Satkunanathan, International Human Rights Law Expert, Member of the Steering Group of the CSO Coalition on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism.
- Ms. Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah, Secretary General and Indonesia Country Representative of the Asian Muslim Action Network ¨C Indonesia
- Ms. Halima Mohamed, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Coast Education Centre (COEC)
11:05-11:15 Closing remarks
- Ms. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, United Nations System Coordination and Programme Results, UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
Logistics
The side event will be held on Friday, 26 June from 10:00 a.m. to 11:15am EDT in person at United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 11 with hybrid participation available via Webex. The event is open to Member and Observer States, members of the media including photographers with valid accreditation, United Nations staff and interns, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, and specialized agencies, as well as invited guests with a valid UN grounds pass.
Prior registration is required for all those wishing to attend, whether in-person or online. To attend the event, please register here: . All registered participants will receive the link to join the event the day before the event.
Due to limited capacity, in-person seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be confirmed prior to the event.
In-person attendees must also register on .
The meeting will be conducted in English with French interpretation.
The draft concept note and agenda are available here.
You can watch the event .
To find out more about CTED¡¯s activities for Counter-Terrorism Week, please visit our dedicated page.