On 14 December 2015, ICCT hosted its first Annual Networking Event at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague. In keeping with the theme "Combining Efforts in Counter-Terrorism", ICCT welcomed guests from various embassies, international organisations, governmental bodies and universities to explore opportunities to identify innovative and comprehensive approaches to preventing and countering terrorism.
After a welcome by ICCT Director Mark Singleton, Dr. Hatem Ben Salem, Director of the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies (ITES) and Professor of International Law at Tunis University, gave a keynote speech on the topic of Tunisia’s transition challenges and opportunities and the importance of a rule of law based approach in countering radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism.
In his speech, Dr. Ben Salem addressed the challenges both within Tunisia's political landscape as well as the broader regional context, emphasising the urgent need to counter an increasingly organised and well-supplied so-called Islamic State in Libya. In particular, he called for substantive international cooperation addressing the topics of home-grown terrorism, foreign fighters, as well as illegal migration and smuggling. Dr. Ben Salem concluded his speech with an appeal to the international community to step up to the plate and assist Tunisia with concrete measures under a common strategy to counter terrorism and radicalisation, calling terrorism a threat not only to states, but to humanity as such.
