Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita took part, on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, in the Global Counterterrorism Forum 14th Ministerial Plenary Meeting (GCTF), dedicated to the security challenges linked to the evolution of the terrorism threat in Africa.
Speaking during this meeting, Bourita highlighted the urgent need for coordinated and adapted action to African realities, recalling the importance of Africa to the global efforts against terrorism.
He stressed the need to act proactively and efficiently, underlining that “African solutions to African problems should not be a pretext for non-action, or for surrendering to the comfort of established formulas.”
Bourita added that Africa cannot afford to wait for bureaucratic structures to act on its behalf, stressing that it is time to adopt a dynamic and direct approach, supporting the efforts of national counter-terrorism structures as well as African plurilateral initiatives.
The Minister also highlighted GCTF’s key role in anticipating emerging threats, particularly in Africa. The Forum, recognized for its ability to identify trends in terrorism and devise appropriate recommendations, must continue to play a proactive role in preventing and responding to terrorist threats, he said.
He insisted on the importance of African anti-terrorism initiatives, such as the “Marrakech Platform for Heads of Security and Counterterrorism Agencies in Africa,” developed with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), dedicated to strengthening regional collaboration between African security stakeholders in the fight against terrorism, as well as the “Abuja Process” and the “Accra Initiative.”
These regional models of collaboration are successful examples of coordinated efforts, which can significantly enhance GCTF’s broader strategies, Bourita noted.
The Minister also said that the Rabat-based UN Office of Counter-Terrorism is an example of successful cooperation, efficiently localizing global initiatives to meet the specific needs of the region.
To conclude, Bourita called on scaling up the institutional capabilities of GCTF and its inspired institutions to develop specialized, context-driven capacity-building programs that enable local institutions to better manage and mitigate terrorist threats.
The GCTF is a forum of 32 of the world's most active counter-terrorism member countries and partners, which aims to strengthen international cooperation to develop strategies and best practices to combat violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms.
Morocco co-chaired this forum for three successive terms from 2015 to 2022, during which it consolidated its leadership role in global efforts for peace and security in Africa and around the world.
