WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the rise of violent extremism and terrorism across Latin America, the World Jewish Congress partnered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Latin American Jewish Congress (LAJC) to host a two-day conference addressing key challenges and advancing multilateral cooperation in international counterterrorism efforts.
The workshop, held at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington D.C., focused on understanding the threat landscape of extremism in the Americas and best practices for the prevention of violent radicalization.
“Words can fuel violence or strengthen resilience. That’s why we must act before hate turns into violence,” said Alison Treppel, Executive Secretary of the OAS Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), during the opening of the working sessions.
Danilo Gelman, director of the LAJC’s Security Program, added: “Latin America is exposed to the threat of terrorist organizations, and it is the responsibility of States to be prepared to confront them—especially in light of the conflicts and violent escalations in the Middle East.”
During an appearance via video conference, WJC Director of International Affairs and Executive director of the WJC Technology and Human Rights Institute (TecHRI) Yfat Barak-Cheney emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation and multistakeholder engagement in these efforts. “The threats we face are cross-border and multifaceted. Our responses must be too.”
Among the other expert speakers were Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhard Counterterrorism Program at the Washington Institute; Carlos Bernardo Cherniak, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the OAS; financial integrity expert attorney Mariano Federici; and Max Meizlish, Senior Research Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
In remarks at the conference, Joaquin Zuckerberg, Programme Officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, indicated that links between terrorism and the global drug trade represent a serious threat in the region, and terror groups often form partnerships with, or operate as part of, the illicit goods trade, noting that Brazil, Chile, and Peru have all faced growing security threats linked to terrorism.
Part of the workshop also took place at the offices of the digital platform TikTok in Washington, D.C., where the focus was on addressing hate speech and online violent extremism. The World Jewish Congress has long worked together with TikTok to provide tools to confront anti-Jewish hatred online, including a redirection feature that encourages platform users to learn the facts about the Holocaust at WJC and UNESCO’s AboutHolocaust.org. The site has received approximately millions of visitors from the redirection implementation.
WJC, together with its regional affiliate the Latin American Jewish Congress, strives to build more just, safe, and inclusive societies. and reaffirms its commitment to fighting all forms of extremism and violence.
