Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), participated in the regional workshop ¡°Women at the Heart of the Fight against Terrorism: Addressing Emerging Terrorism Challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)¡±, held in Tangier, Morocco, from 7 to 9 October. Organized by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and Morocco¡¯s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), with funding from the Government of Canada, the workshop brought together women police officers and counter-terrorism practitioners from the MENA region to exchange experiences, share good practices and strengthen regional cooperation.
Over the three days, ASG Gherman delivered keynote addresses and participated in interactive panel discussions. Her remarks addressed the profound implications of women¡¯s participation in terrorism for the nature of the threat and for our collective counter-terrorism efforts, while recognizing the scale and diversity of women¡¯s involvement in contemporary terrorist movements. She highlighted the need to integrate gender considerations into counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism conducive to terrorism responses and stressed that successfully navigating the future threat landscape will require strong cooperation between governments, international and regional organizations, the private sector and civil society.
The discussions examined emerging terrorism trends and developments, including the roles women play in terrorism and counter terrorism efforts, the challenges associated with women¡¯s radicalization to violence, and the importance of understanding the diverse circumstances and motivations behind their involvement. In this context, ASG Gherman emphasized the need for a nuanced understanding of women's motivations and circumstances, recognizing both their agency and the coercion, exploitation and abuse they may experience. Participants also considered the increasing use of online platforms and emerging technologies by terrorist actors, including artificial intelligence, as well as developments in terrorist financing methods, such as the exploitation of online payment services, crowdfunding platforms, mobile money systems and virtual assets.
The event reaffirmed the importance of women's meaningful participation in counter-terrorism efforts and of gender considerations to preventing and combating terrorism. It also reinforced the value of continued regional cooperation in strengthening capacities and addressing emerging threats across the Middle East and North Africa.