Partnerships
The evolving threat posed by terrorist and violent extremist groups requires multi-faceted, agile, collaborative and innovative approaches by stakeholders at the international, regional, national and community levels. Engaging with diverse partners and embracing openness to a multitude of perspectives is fundamental to responding to the complex challenges posed by terrorism and violent extremism. The UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions as well as the Madrid Guiding Principles encourage engagement between Member States, NGOs, civil society and the private sector.
Stories of Change
Civil society partners are often on the frontlines of preventing and countering violent extremism in communities and bring invaluable context-specific insights to UNOCT’s policy and programmes. In 2022, UNOCT pioneered the active engagement of civil society in the design, preparation, and facilitation of the Malaga Conference. Now known as the Malaga Process, this high level of engagement ensured that civil society voices were directly reflected in the outcomes of the conference, which notably called for more meaningful engagement with civil society at all stages of the counter-terrorism process, from policy to implementation. UNOCT intends to replicate this process in future events.