The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in partnership with the National Counter-Terrorism Centre of the Republic of Kenya and the Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), organized a workshop to adapt the Training of Trainers Manual on Gender Mainstreaming with Intersectional Approaches in Countering Terrorism and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (CT/PCVE) to Kenya’s policy, programmatic, and institutional landscape.
The workshop, held on 21-25 July 2025 was facilitated by Dr. Jessica White and hosted in Nairobi by the Kenya School of Government, aimed to deepen the capacity of 18 government officials, civil society representatives, and practitioners to lead future trainings within Kenyan institutions and communities, while strengthening their understanding of gender-responsive and intersectional approaches to CT/PCVE.
The training explored how intersecting identity factors, such as gender, age, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, shape individuals’ experiences of terrorism and counter-terrorism policies and interventions. Through interactive sessions, participants identified practical strategies to integrate these considerations into national efforts to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Participants worked collaboratively to localize the Training of Trainers Manual’s content, tailoring exercises, case studies, and guidance to reflect Kenya’s national frameworks and local priorities.
From Training to Action
As a key outcome, participants developed inputs that will be integrated into a version of the Manual tailored to Kenya’s national priorities. The Manual will continue to be refined through follow-up sessions and consultations. A roadmap to guide future national-level trainings, led by Kenyan experts for Kenyan institutions will also be developed.
Reinforcing UNOCT’s Commitment to Gender Equality
This workshop is the latest in a series of initiatives implemented under the Gender and Identity Factors Platform project, implemented by the UNOCT through its Human Rights and Gender Section to support Member States in integrating gender equality and human rights across CT/PCVE efforts, thanks to a contribution from Global Affairs Canada.
Since 2022, UNOCT’s dedicated Gender Unit within the Human Rights and Gender Section has worked to ensure that the Office’s global programming is informed by gender-sensitive and intersectional analysis. Guided by UNOCT’s Gender Mainstreaming Policy and Action Plan, the Gender Unit ensures that equality and inclusion remain central to all stages of project planning, implementation, and evaluation.
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