Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa through the United Nations Multi-Year Appeal

Under the framework of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, the Working Group on Resource Mobilization, Monitoring and Evaluation convened a virtual briefing on “Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa – How the United Nations Multi-Year Appeal for Counter-Terrorism Facilitates Coordinated UN Action,” on 31 May 2022.

Over 100 participants – including representatives from Governments of 18 African states, 19 donor countries, national law enforcement agencies, the expert community, UN Resident Coordinators and colleagues from across the UN system – were in attendance.

The briefing showcased five inter-agency projects with a focus on enhancing national and regional capacities for countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism conducive to terrorism in Africa. The programmes were presented by UNODC, IOM, UNICRI, UNDP, CTED and UNOCT demonstrating the value of joined-up United Nations action.

Terrorism remains a significant threat to international peace and security, affecting the lives and well-being of millions across the globe. According to the 2022 Global Terrorism Index, approximately half of all deaths attributed to terrorism globally last year were recorded in Africa.
“Now more than ever, we need to work with and support the continent to meet this existential threat”, emphasized Mr. Alexander Avanessov, Senior Adviser on the Prevention of Violent Extremism, UNDP, who moderated the event. 

Mr. David Scharia (CTED), Co-Chair of the Working Group, presented key findings on challenges and priority recommendations in Africa, highlighting the need to build stability, resilience and prosperity.

The Multi-Year Appeal for Counter-Terrorism requests $179 million for 52 projects implemented by 12 Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities – UNOCT, CTED, IMO, IOM, OHCHR, UNDP, UNICEF, UNICRI, UNODC, UNRCCA, and UN Women and Interpol. Most regions of the world are included, while the highest number of projects focus on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism in parts of Africa - with 20 projects and a requested funding volume of $75 million. 

The Appeal demonstrates how the Counter-Terrorism Compact works in practice using ‘all-of-UN’ approach to avoid duplication of effort by implementing joint, multi-partner projects. In his keynote address, H.E. Mr. Omar Kadiri, Deputy Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN in New York reaffirmed that “The UN Multi-Year Appeal brings together all UN agencies to implement priority joint activities on the ground, which is extremely important.”

Mr. Masood Karimipour (UNODC), Co-Chair of the Working Group, concurred by noting “Terrorism does not happen in a vacuum. Therefore, we need more comprehensive solutions and broader partnerships. This Multi-Year Appeal is the kind of broader partnership that will enable us to develop better solutions and achieve better results together than we can separately.”

The projects included in the Multi-Year Appeal for Counter-Terrorism have thus far received support from 18 donors: Australia, Canada, China, the EU, France, Germany, India, Italy, Monaco, Morocco, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Member States are encouraged to rally behind the Multi-Year Appeal and explore the user-friendly online dashboard, where all 52 projects are readily accessible with the option of downloading its summaries. 

"The capacity-building projects presented today serve the African continent in its counter terrorism efforts and need the investment of the international community. We count on your support to the UN Multi-Year Appeal for Counter-Terrorism.", concluded Ms. Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, Chair of the Resource Mobilization, Monitoring and Evaluation (RMME) Working Group.