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.

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.

In 2018, the Global Center marked its sixth year of partnership with the Ethiopian Financial Intelligence Center (EFIC), Federal Attorney General (AG), and other stakeholders under two phases of technical assistance programming supported by the government of Denmark.

Ethiopia has made substantial progress in strengthening its anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. The Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group recognized this progress in November 2018 when it increased Ethiopia’s compliance rating on nine Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations. Further, Ethiopia has demonstrated its ability to effectively utilize AML/CFT frameworks to detect and investigate financial crimes, as evidenced by the high profile arrests of intelligence, military, and business officials over alleged corruption and human rights abuses in November 2018.

The Global Center has been honored to support Ethiopia in these efforts and commends the EFIC, AG, and all its partners on their achievements. Key highlights from the second phase of programming (2016-2018) include:

Trainings and Capacity Development: In collaboration with the EFIC and AG, the Global Center facilitated 27 trainings for 624 participants representing 51 different institutions, organizations, and businesses in Ethiopia from 2016-2018. These efforts have contributed to the capacity development of individuals and institutions and fostered stronger relationships and information sharing pathways between institutions.

National Risk Assessment: Ethiopia finalized its national risk assessment in 2016, a critical element of compliance with the FATF standards. The findings of the national risk assessment are instrumental in advancing Ethiopia’s risk-based approach (RBA) to AML/CFT and to deepening the understanding of Ethiopia’s unique threat and vulnerability profile. Building off this process, the EFIC is leading a sectoral risk assessment for non-profit institutions and real estate as identified areas of higher risk.

Risk-Based Approach to Supervision: To advance effective compliance procedures in line with the findings of the national risk assessment, the Global Center supported the EFIC in establishing an intra-agency drafting committee to develop policy guidance on implementing a RBA to supervision. The EFIC collaborated with the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) to develop a manual on RBA supervision for financial institutions, and with other regulatory authorities to develop a similar manual for RBA supervision for designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs). To date, the EFIC and NBE have conducted joint on-site inspections of six financial institutions and are prioritizing supervisory mechanisms among identified risk-risk DNFBPs.

AML/CFT Manual and Practitioner’s Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors: In order to facilitate sustainable institutional development, a committee of local experts collaborated with the Global Center to draft an AML/CFT manual for investigators and prosecutors in an Ethiopian context. The manual provides an overview of international and domestic legal frameworks for AML/CFT, including an overview of the relevant actors, compliance obligations and processes, and sources of information that may be useful in conducting money laundering and terrorist financing investigations and prosecutions. The manual is augmented by a practitioner’s guide that offers practical guidance for conducting financial crime investigations in line with Ethiopian legal frameworks.

Three Multi-Course Training Programs on Effective Financial Crime Investigations and Prosecutions: One of the key areas highlighted in Ethiopia’s mutual evaluation and subsequent follow-up reports has been low levels of technical capacity among investigators and prosecutors pursuant to AML/CFT and financial crime investigations. Many provisions of Ethiopia’s AML/CFT law have yet to be tested in court, resulting in variances in interpretation and application. To address these challenges, the project supported three multi-training certification programs on effective financial crime investigations and prosecutions for over 110 representatives from the AG, Ethiopian Police University College (EPUC), Federal Police, Addis Ababa Police Commission, Regional Police Commissions, and Federal Investigation Bureau. Graduates of this program have been engaged by the AG in facilitating local trainings at the sub-city level, with EPUC graduates implementing an AML/CFT module into the training curriculum.

Regional Training Series on AML/CFT: In order to deepen capacities outside of the capital, a series of regional trainings were facilitated for police, investigators, and prosecutors in each of Ethiopia’s nine regions. Demonstrating its strong institutional capacity and role as experts on AML/CFT issues, trainings were led by EFIC and AG staff with the support of the Global Center consultant Mr. Biniam Shiferaw Ayalew. Trainings were conducted in Bahir Dar (Amhara region), Adama (Oromia region), Hawassa (Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ region), Jijiga (Somali region), Mekelle (Tigray region), Semera (Afar region), Gambela (Gambela region), Assosa (Benishangul region), and Hara (Harai region), as well as in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa for over 300 participants.

Asset Freezing and Non-Proliferation Legislation: Building upon prior trainings and gap analysis, the AG established an intra-agency committee to conduct research and draft new legislation related to the financing of weapons of mass destruction as well as legislation and procedures to strengthen asset freezing, confiscation, and management. Draft legislation on proliferation financing is awaiting approval from Parliament, and will address the final major technical gap identified by the FATF during Ethiopia’s mutual evaluation.

For more information about this program, please contact Ms. Tracey Durner at tdurner@globalcenter.org.