2020 Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week

From 6-10 July, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) organized its first Virtual Counter-Terrorism week in lieu of the 2020 Counter-Terrorism Week, which was postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic following the postponement of the Seventh Review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy to the General Assembly’s 75th session.

UNOCT hosted ten webinars and interactive discussions over the course of the week under the overarching theme of “Strategic and Practical Challenges of Countering Terrorism in a Global Pandemic Environment” to discuss emerging trends and priorities such as bio and cyber terrorism, addressing the plight of victims of terrorism, and civil society and media perspectives to prevent violent extremism (PVE).

The Global Center’s Executive Director, Mr. Eelco Kessels, joined representatives from international nongovernmental organizations and media for Webinar V “Civil Society and Media Perspectives on Preventing and Countering Terrorism in a Pandemic.” Mr. Kessels’ conveyed the critical importance of meaningfully partnering with civil society in counterterrorism and PVE efforts, the obstacles to their engagement, and ways to overcome these challenges at the local, national, and international levels. In addition to conveying the perspectives from the Global Center’s partners around the world, the remarks were informed by two civil society-led workshops that the Global Center helped co-organize in advance of the UN Regional High-Level Counter-Terrorism Conferences in Abu Dhabi and Vienna, in which more than 75 civil society actors from 30 different countries participated.

In his remarks, Mr. Kessels highlighted the importance of meaningful and sustained engagement with a diverse civil society in efforts to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism. He presented several key considerations to help realize more productive and sustained relationships with civil society, including:

• Ensuring a conducive environment and legal basis are essential in realizing the contributions of civil society;
• Providing adequate and predictable funding as well as support in strengthening organizational capacities and building thematic and practical expertise; and
• Proactively involving civil society in policy formulation and program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluations processes at all levels.

He stressed that the United Nations has a specific role to play in supporting the meaningful participation of civil society actors in counterterrorism and PVE policies, programs, and practices.

On 2 July, leading up to the 2020 Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week, the Global Center launched the key recommendations and summary findings of its forthcoming Blue Sky V report. The report’s findings and recommendations suggest ways the United Nations can better leverage its comparative advantages to improve policy development, inter-agency coordination, delivery, and impact of its counterterrorism and PVE efforts in a manner that systemically accounts for human rights and civil society engagement.

Following the first UN High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States in June 2018, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) organized seven regional high-level conferences to “keep up the momentum on key counter-terrorism issues … strengthen international cooperation … [and] pro¬mote implementation of the [United Nations] Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.” To help bolster civil society engagement as part of that process, UNOCT partnered with the Global Center to organize two one-day, civil society–led workshops preceding the last two regional conferences, in Abu Dhabi on 17 December 2019 and Vienna on 10 February 2020.

This paper summarizes the key outcomes of those discussions. It highlights some of the contributions of civil society to advance implementation of the Strategy in the areas of prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation and reintegration. It identifies challenges and proposes a series of recommendations for states, intergovernmental bodies, and civil society to enhance engagement on counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism by 1) creating an enabling environment for civil society, 2) supporting its financial and organizational capacity, and 3) engaging it in relevant policy formulation and implementation processes at all levels.

In the lead up to the 2020 Virtual UN Counter-Terrorism Week, the Global Center launched the summary findings and key recommendations of the fifth iteration of its Blue Sky report series. With the generous support of the governments of the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, the report builds on the Global Center’s previous analyses of the UN’s counter terrorism efforts. The key recommendations of the report suggest concrete ways the United Nations can better leverage its comparative advantages to improve policy development, inter-agency coordination, delivery, and impact of counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism efforts in a manner that systemically accounts for human rights and civil society engagement.

The Global Center’s Executive Director Eelco Kessels and Chief of Strategy Melissa Lefas were joined by Assistant Secretary-General Michèle Coninsx, Executive Director, UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate; Mr. Raffi Gregorian, Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General and Director, UN Office of Counter-Terrorism; Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Professor Willibroad Dze-Ngwa, University of Yaoundé I, Africa Network against Illiteracy, Conflict and Human Rights Abuse, Cameroon; and Ms. Mai E’Leimat, Founder and CEO of Edmaaj, Development and Social Responsibility Consulting, Jordan. Ambassador Stephan Husy, Ambassador-at-Large for International Counterterrorism, Switzerland opened the event and Mr. Huib Mijnarends, Special Envoy on Counter-Terrorism, the Netherlands, delivered closing remarks.

Recognizing the importance of reinforcing the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law underpinning the Strategy and that the United Nations places a renewed focus on policy leadership and coordination to support the Strategy’s implementation, embedded in the wider peace and security pillar, Blue Sky V hones in on four focus areas:

• Calibrating the UN Counterterrorism Architecture
• Situating UN Counterterrorism Efforts Within the Prevention Framework
• Engaging and Supporting Civil Society and Mainstream Human Rights
• Assessing the Implementation of the Strategy

The panelists reflected on the report’s summary findings and recommendations, joined by over 175 participants via Zoom and YouTube livestream.

For more information about the Blue Sky process and report, please contact Ms. Franziska Praxl at fpraxl@globalcenter.org.

The Global Center received the Innovators Award in Global Affairs in the Security & Defense category, for addressing the root causes of violent extremism with innovative, inclusive, and human rights-based policies, partnerships, and practices. The Awards, sponsored by Network 20/20 and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, recognize those individuals and organizations at the forefront of delivering pioneering solutions to global policy challenges in the fields of sustainability, civic engagement, security, humanitarian aid, and financial inclusion.

“The Innovators Award is an encouraging testament to our dedicated team of young professionals and their work with community groups and youth organizations all across the world,” said Global Center Executive Director Eelco Kessels. “It highlights the impact that our organization and global network of experts have in a field where outdated, security-driven approaches often stand in the way of lasting solutions that are driven by communities and address real grievances.”

As the Global Center moves into a new stage of growth and development, we ask for your support to remain agile, independent, and innovative, ensuring that our programs reach those that most need our support and can make a difference in their communities.

We hope you will join us in this important effort. Please click on the See More button to learn how you can support our work, or contact info@globalcenter.org for more information.

Over the course of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, the Global Center hosted, presented, and participated in numerous events and functions aimed at advancing effective policy and practice around countering violent extremism, criminal justice and rule of law, and financial integrity and inclusion.

From organizing a panel on safeguarding civil society and humanitarian operations while countering terrorism at the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) to co-hosting a discussion on youth engagement and resilience against violent extremism in the Sahel, the Global Center was able to demonstrate the impact of its work on justice, security, and development, and highlight its cooperation with partners such as Senior Fellows Maji Peterx (Alternatives to Violence Project Lead Facilitator and Carefronting Nigeria Coordinator) and Phyllis Muema (Executive Director, Kenya Community Support Centre).

Global Center Reception: Celebrating Fifteen Years of Impact

At our annual reception, the Global Center celebrated its fifteen-year anniversary and welcomed existing and new partners to look ahead to an exciting new phase of growth and development. Thank you to all those who joined us in celebrating on 25 September, and a special thank you to our wonderful partners and incredible host Baker McKenzie for making the reception a success.

GCTF Panel Discussion: Safeguarding Civil Society and Humanitarian Operations

Global Center Executive Director Eelco Kessels moderated a session on “Safeguarding Civil Society and Humanitarian Operations while Countering the Financing of Terrorism,” convened during the Sixteenth GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting. The panel was organized by the Global Center in partnership with the Governments of the Netherlands and Morocco, GCTF Co-Chairs. It featured a diverse range of experts to discuss the impact of countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) on civil society and humanitarian spaces and consider ways in which CFT aim could be furthered without harming civil society and humanitarian operations. Remarks of one of the panelists—the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, are available here.

Two Sides of the Same Coin? Operationalizing Linkages between the SDG 16 and PVE Agendas

The Global Center, the Prevention Project, and the International Civil Society Action Network co-hosted an event to explore the linkages between Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)16 and preventing violent extremism (PVE) Agendas. In welcoming remarks, Rafia Bhulai, Global Center Senior Programs Officer, cautioned that the PVE lens may not be the most appropriate or useful way through which to address many of the SDG16 targets, but that carefully considered and relevant efforts could help advance mutually reinforcing elements of the peace, security, and development agendas. Specifically, she proposed two areas of complementarity between the two agendas – by curbing illicit and terrorism finance and by promoting access to justice for all. The Global Center will further explore these issues in a forthcoming article.

Youth Engagement and Resilience against Violent Extremism in the Sahel

The Global Center, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute – in collaboration with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Senegal to the United Nations – organized a panel on the critical role that youth play across the Sahel in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). The event was organized to provide a platform for young leaders and their advocates to directly address policy makers, implementing partners, and donors on how to better support them in their P/CVE effort and to address persistent challenges and promising interventions. Maji Peterx, Global Center Senior Fellow and Alternatives to Violence Project Lead Facilitator and Carefronting Nigeria Coordinator, provided his experiences working with youth on P/CVE efforts. A meeting summary details key takeaways from the discussion.

New Perspectives on Violent Extremism in Africa

Tracey Durner, Global Center Senior Analyst, reflected on the findings of a survey by the Institute of Security Studies of 281 P/CVE projects in East, Central, and West Africa during a panel discussion hosted at the European Union Delegation to the United Nations. She noted an increasing disconnect between the structural drivers of violent extremism often cited on the continent, and programming responses that emphasize community dialogue and awareness raising. She also highlighted the negative impact that ad-hoc, project-based funding has on the strength and core capacity of local actors. These findings draw on the Global Center’s experiences supporting the East Africa Civil Society Organizations Hub and providing small and medium grants to grassroots civil society organizations to design and implement P/CVE programming in their communities.

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For insights on all the events the Global Center participated in, please visit our twitter page, https://twitter.com/GlobalCtr.

Building on its previous analyses of the UN’s counterterrorism programs, the Global Center, with the generous support of the governments of Norway, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, has produced an independent report containing recommendations to support multilateral efforts to address terrorism and violent extremism in advance of the sixth review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) in June. In addition to identifying ways to improve the development, coordination, delivery, and impact of the UN’s efforts, the report looks at what can be done to ensure that the sixth review can be used to more systematically assess the effectiveness of the UN efforts to support the implementation of the Strategy at headquarters, on the ground, and, importantly, between the two. The aim, therefore, is to lay the ground work during the sixth review to ensure that the seventh review in 2020 and subsequent ones can more rigorously take stock of the progress made by member states and by the United Nations to further the implementation of the GCTS.

The UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) was established in 2004 with the core mission of supporting the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) in monitoring the implementation of counterterrorism obligations required by Security Council Resolution 1373 and facilitating technical assistance to member states to aid their implementation activities. Since 2004, however, CTED’s mandate has expanded considerably in response to the evolution of the threat and the increased number of stakeholders benefiting from CTED assessments and analyses, a group that includes not only the council itself, but also UN member states in general, regional and functional organizations, and other counterterrorism-relevant entities inside and outside the UN system.

This policy brief looks at CTED’s role in light of the need to maintain and strengthen its comparative advantage in assessing member states’ counterterrorism efforts while addressing existing and emerging threats of terrorism and aligning its working methodologies with these developments. It also assesses what CTED and the CTC can do to enhance coordination with partners within and outside the UN system. It then examines the benefits and limitations of CTED’s outputs in relation to its mandate, comparative advantage, capacity, and impact, and concludes by offering some ideas and recommendations for the Security Council, the CTC, and CTED to consider for the next four years and beyond.

With generous support from the governments of Norway and Switzerland, the Global Center, building on its previous analyses of the UN counterterrorism architecture and programs, has produced this independent report to take stock of a decade of multilateral activities implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (Strategy), including past biennial reviews, and develop a set of findings and recommendations to support implementation efforts in the coming decade. Beyond the UN counterterrorism bodies, this report focuses on broader strategic engagement among entities focused on development, human rights, peace and security, education, and culture, including new actors that have emerged to fill gaps that the United Nations has been unable to adequately fill since the adoption of the Strategy, such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the institutions it inspired. This report includes a critical analysis of the outcomes of deliberations around the 2016 review of the Strategy and reflects on implementation efforts going forward. The study is informed by research on current threats and organizational responses; interviews and consultations with UN officials, member state representatives, academics, and practitioners through bilateral discussions; small-group events; and a tailored survey open to governments, UN officials, and civil society.

Local, rather than national actors, are often better positioned to prevent the spread of violent extremism within their communities, including by identifying early signs of radicalization and intervening before it leads to the kind of violence we continue to see far too often in cities around the world. Supporting and sustaining such efforts globally requires, among other things, updating the international architecture for addressing terrorism and violent extremism, which has been focused almost entirely on national governments and driven by their security concerns.

This policy brief highlights how multilateral fora like the United Nations and Global Counterterrorism Forum need to enhance the involvement of community-level actors in their counterterrorism and CVE discussions. More fundamentally, however, the brief calls for developing and supporting a durable sub-national cooperation architecture to facilitate collaboration and networking among the growing numbers of local actors contributing to CVE efforts. It also argues for more space for subnational actors and non-traditional stakeholders within national counterterrorism strategies to ensure inclusive and well-informed CVE approaches are central parts of such frameworks.

Over the past decade, counterterrorism policymakers and practitioners have increasingly focused on developing a broader strategic approach that stresses prevention and addresses the enabling environment for terrorism and violent extremism. This article published by the United Nations Association, UK focuses on the potential overlap between countering violent extremism and development assistance, and what the United Nations can do to ensure that actors in both realms mutually benefit from the work they are doing.