Regional conference discussed the role of Global Counter Terrorism Forum in combating terrorism.

The Conference in Kathmandu is part of a series of regional conferences organized by DOJ to support the Global Counter Terrorism Forum’s (GCTF) initiatives against terrorism.

The GCTF is a dedicated global venue to regularly convene key counterterrorism policy makers and practitioners from around the world to identify essential priorities, devise solutions, and chart a path to implementation of best practices.

According to a press release issued by Public Affairs Section of Embassy of the United States, the GCTF's overarching and long-term goal is to reduce the vulnerability of people everywhere to terrorism by effectively preventing, combating, and prosecuting terrorist acts and countering incitement and recruitment to terrorism.

The Embassy of the United States of America, working closely with the Government of Nepal, is sponsoring a regional counterterrorism conference at the Radisson Hotel in Kathmandu from April 15 to April 17, 2015.  The three-day international conference will unite top experts from the United States, the United Nations, and Indonesia, with law enforcement, prosecutors, and lawyers from Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. 

“No nation is immune from terrorism.  The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) represents an attempt to share and develop best practices and policies to share experience and expertise across the region, and to develop close working relationships among law enforcement,” U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, Peter W. Bodde stated in his opening address.

 The conference will focus on the best practices in the assistance and protection of victims of terrorism, based on the principles established under the GCTF’s Madrid Memorandum.  The conference will highlight the importance of having victims be heard in court, so that they can share with the court the pain and loss that they have suffered in a terrorist attack.   Enhancements to courtroom security will also be discussed.

The conference in Kathmandu is the second of three regional programs that are being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Prosecutorial Assistance, Development and Training (DOJ OPDAT) in the months to come.

 In February, OPDAT organized a four-day regional program in Dhaka, Bangladesh on the best practices in the investigation and prosecution of terrorism cases, based on the GCTF’s Rabat Memorandum.  In May, OPDAT plans to organize a third conference, a four-day program on the foreign fighter phenomenon, to be held in India.  All three programs are designed to share expertise and experience on counterterrorism issues, while encouraging regional and international cooperation.