From January 22–24, 2025, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies and New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC) convened the Lessons Learned in Adapting Peace Operations to Violent Extremist Threats Senior Leaders Roundtable at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. The roundtable brought together senior leaders and experts from across Africa to discuss how peace operations can address the growing threat posed by violent extremist groups.
There were 35 total participants, including 11 serving or retired general officers, six current or former force commanders, four ambassadors, three former heads of mission, and senior United States, UN, and African Union (AU) officials.
The objectives of the roundtable were to:
- Convene senior peace operations leaders and experts to discuss experiences, lessons learned, and good practices in regional efforts to address violent extremism.
- Identify opportunities for the UN, AU, and other multilateral actors to improve their responses to violent extremist groups.
- Catalyze the development of regional solution frameworks to address the violent extremist threat.
The program included opening remarks by the UN Under-Secretary– General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the AU Permanent Observer to the UN Fatima Mohammed, United States Africa Command West Africa Coordination Element Lead Major General Kenneth Ekman, and New York University Distinguished Fellow Ambassador Martin Kimani. This document captures the key insights and recommendations derived from the program, aimed at enabling the United States government to advance regional solutions to Africa’s growing violent extremist threat.