Over the past decade, Member States have witnessed an increase in the frequency of attacks motivated by xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief (XRIRB).
XRIRB-based terrorist attacks and violent extremism vary in the ideology they draw from but are often linked by xenophobia, antisemitism, misogyny, islamophobia, hatred and racism towards minorities and the LGTBQ+ community, and in some Member States, also includes anti-institutional violence.
The Latin American region is not exempt from the XRIRB phenomenon which often goes undetected by the authorities. To address this threat in the region, UNODC organized an awareness-raising and training workshop on prosecuting terrorist acts and violent extremism committed on the basis of XRIRB in Santiago on 3-4 September 2024.
The event brought together criminal justice officials from relevant national agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors, and policy-makers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, the UK and the USA. The workshop focused on building the capacity of public officials in Chile, as well as neighbouring countries, to address terrorist attacks and violent extremism based on XRIRB while also strengthening their understanding of the XRIRB phenomenon.
During the opening ceremony, Mr Ignacio Castillo, Director of the Specialized Unit on Organized Crime and Drugs from the National Prosecutor's Office in Chile, stressed the importance of learning from other countries’ experiences to reflect on areas for improvement and develop strategies to prevent terrorism and violent extremism based on XRIRB.
During the workshop, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the legal and administrative responses to XRIRB, including current and future trends, the use of technologies by XRIRB actors, terrorist financing, and the prevention of exploitation of digital platforms by these actors.
UNODC's long-term objective is to establish a forum of professionals to exchange lessons and experiences, foster greater inter-institutional collaboration, and improve regional and international cooperation. To achieve this, UNODC has already delivered workshops in Latin America, Europe and Africa to raise awareness among responsible state actors and provide them with the tools to tackle the XRIRB-related challenges more effectively.
This workshop was made possible thanks to the support of the Federal Republic of Germany.