- Events
The Â鶹APP Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through the Â鶹APP Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets and the EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility, hosted the second Conference of the West African Network of Experts on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets, from 12 to 14 May 2026, in Rabat, Morocco, at the UNOCT Programme Office on Counter-Terrorism and Training in Africa.
The Conference aimed to strengthen sub-regional cooperation by facilitating the sharing of good practices, lessons learnt, and institutional approaches to prevent, counter and mitigate terrorist threats targeting vulnerable sites among West African countries.
The event brought together members of the West African Network of Experts from Benin, C?te d¡¯Ivoire, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, and Togo. International experts from UNOCT, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the Â鶹APP Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), the Center for Higher Defense Studies and Security (CHEDS) of Senegal, and the EU project Public Spaces also contributed to the discussions.
The opening session featured remarks from H.E. Ambassador Dimiter Tzantchev, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Morocco, Mr. Irchad Benqadi, Head of Section of Security and Social Global Issues of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco, and Mr. Ignacio Ib¨¢?ez, Head of the UNOCT Programme Office in Madrid and Coordinator of the Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets. These remarks highlighted the evolving nature of the terrorist threat in West Africa, particularly against vulnerable targets, and underscored the importance of strengthened regional cooperation and sustained international support.
The sessions highlighted the importance of strengthening exchanges, ensuring consistency in approaches, and promoting the complementarity of actions undertaken in the region. A tabletop exercise provided participants with an opportunity to assess their crisis response abilities and identify areas of improvement in the protection of critical infrastructure and public spaces. The event concluded with the adoption of a workplan to guide the efforts of the Network in 2026-2027 to promote coordination, exchange, and regional cooperation.
The event was funded by the European Union, through the EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility. The project on supporting West African Member States on the protection of vulnerable targets is funded by France, through the Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets.
