The graduation ceremony of the 2024 cohort of the Specialized Training on Counter-Terrorism Investigations (STOCTI) took place on Friday at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat, attended by ambassadors from countries accredited to Morocco.
Initiated by the Rabat-based UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in partnership with Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane and with the financial support of several international players and donors, this training course, provided by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, benefited 22 participants from seven African countries: Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria and Togo.
Speaking at the event, UNOCT Deputy Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov praised Moroccan partners for facilitating this training initiative, the third of its kind, aimed at strengthening collective efforts to combat terrorism across Africa.
‘This reflects a commitment to encouraging educ
ation and collaboration in the fight against terrorism’, he emphasized in his video address, also congratulating the graduates on their hard work, urging them to devote their acquired skills to contributing to the security of their respective communities.
Speaking on the occasion, ICESCO Director General Salim Al Malik praised the graduates’ determination, discipline and dedication throughout the training program, noting that this course not only trains investigators, but also ‘protectors of human rights, defenders of justice and crucial contributors to building a safer world’.
‘Terrorism and violent extremism remain the greatest threats to global peace, security and human dignity’, he said, adding that meeting these cross-border challenges requires not only resilience and vigilance, but also a commitment to international collaboration, strategic knowledge sharing and the development of specialized skills, adapted to ever evolving threats.
He also praised the agreement between Morocco and the UN Counter-Te
rrorism Office, which led to the establishment of the UNOCT headquarters in Rabat, the first of its kind in Africa. This, he added, “would not have been possible without the continued support of His Majesty King Mohammed VI”, who continuously “lends His support to civil and international action and demonstrates His willingness to implement the UN strategy in this field for the benefit of Member States and the world at large”.
For his part, Mustapha El Alami El Fellousse, who represented the Global Issues Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, praised cooperation between the Kingdom and UNOCT, a model partnership at regional and international levels having borne fruit through several initiatives, including this program.
El Alami El Fellousse pointed out that the joint efforts between the Kingdom and the UN ‘once again upholds the collective commitment to work to combat all forms of terrorism and to meet security challenges’, adding that such initiatives ‘
not only enable individual skills to be strengthened, but also facilitate the constitution of a sustainable network of experts specialized in the field of counter-terrorism’.
He reported a satisfactory record of UNOCT’s action in combating terrorism and promoting peace and security in the region, reflecting a global vision of strengthening international cooperation and joint action to address the threat of terrorism, in line with the Vision of HM King Mohammed VI.
According to El Alami El Fellousse, this training will help build a solid network of specialized experts to contribute to efforts of strengthening security capabilities at regional and international levels. This network, he continued, is a result of of cooperation and coordination between different countries of the continent.
For their part, the ambassadors of the countries having financially supported this training emphasized the importance and relevance of this program to the benefit of African countries, as part of UNOCT’s efforts to strengthe
n capacities and develop skills in the field of counter-terrorism, according to a collaborative and supportive approach reflecting a spirit of collective responsibility.
In his closing remarks, the Head of the UNOCT Program Office in Rabat, Carlos Monteiro Reis, praised all collaborators and partners who contributed to the success of the training, calling on the course’s graduates to devote their efforts and knowledge to the service of global peace and security.
The program, which spanned 450 hours of training over 11 weeks split over 3 modules, combined in-depth theoretical training on various subjects related to the fight against terrorism and extremist violence, with practical activities meant to enhance participants’ technical skills. Best practices were exchanged through a variety of assignments.
Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse