UN Security Council Resolution 2178 is an important part of the global civilian effort to reduce the threat from foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere. This policy brief outlines a targeted and risk-based approach for states to follow in implementing the Resolution 2178 using civilian counterterrorism tools, including law enforcement and border security, and relevant practices from outside standard counterterrorism operations, such as community engagement. It concludes by outlining an approach to strengthening international cooperation on FTF issues that takes advantage of recently established elements of the global counterterrorism architecture, notably the GCTF and the institutions and good practices it has inspired, such as the Hague-Marrakech memorandum.
Responding to Foreign Terrorist Fighters: A Risk-Based Playbook for States and the International Community
The development of a vibrant and active private banking system that complements existing public sector work is considered important to Ethiopia’s economic progress and key to the success of the government’s “Growth and Transformation Plan,” an ambitious five-year development plan to assist the country in reaching “middle income” status. This brief considers the manner in which Ethiopia’s public and private banking systems affect the development of the national economy, with particular reference to anti–money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism vulnerabilities. Ethiopia is not alone in facing this challenge, as banking industry liberalization is a key consideration in a range of countries, from large economies such as India to regional neighbors such as Uganda, particularly as the 2008 global financial crisis has raised some important questions about the merits of uncontrolled banking industry development.
Ethiopia has experienced notable economic growth over the last ten years, but its foreign exchange controls appear restrictive in comparison to peer group countries. This brief considers the manner in which foreign exchange control regimes and remittances affect Ethiopia’s economic development and the challenge of imposing appropriate anti–money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism policies without hindering or limiting the important developmental role played by remittance flows. Although this brief focuses on the extent to which these overlapping issues impact Ethiopia, it is important to note that other countries in and beyond the region are also facing these issues as they seek to use such controls to support and protect their economies and currencies.
In view of its primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security, the UN Security Council plays a number of important roles in supporting UN entities and member states’ in their CVE efforts – whether through shaping international obligations and norms, mandating peacekeeping and political missions, or enhancing coordination and capacity within the UN Secretariat to meet emerging threats. This brief explores how the Security Council could better leverage these roles to further integrate CVE considerations into their responses to terrorism and conflicts that are influenced by terrorism and violent extremism. It also highlights some of the key challenges and opportunities in further integrating CVE practice into the work of the UN, in particular through Security Council.
Justice, human rights, and the rule of law have prominently featured in global deliberations on the post-2015 development agenda and remain fundamental components of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. With the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals initiative in 2015, a crucial opportunity now exists to begin identifying and deepening these synergies. This policy brief examines human rights and rule of law in the context of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and in relation to the wider UN system. The brief concludes with several recommendations for strengthening the strategic coherence of the UN’s rule of law-related initiatives in ways that both further the aims of the UN Global Strategy and align with a potential rule of law agenda in the post-2015 development framework.
The policy brief discusses the role of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) and the opportunities presented by the renewal of its mandate before the end of this year to further strengthen and clarify its role in the multilateral counterterrorism framework. It explores recent changes in the multilateral counterterrorism architecture, including the establishment of new entities within and outside the United Nations with a focus on countering terrorism and violent extremism.
The brief offers three key recommendations to 1) enhance CTED’s mandate and capacities to offer an analysis of counterterrorism capacity-building gaps; 2) develop regional or thematic action plans that reflect the transnational nature of contemporary terrorism and can form the basis of more contextually targeted interventions; and 3) develop closer collaboration with key UN partners to deliver a more integrated UN response to terrorism and violent extremism.
Unlike traditional counterterrorism measures, which focus largely on law enforcement and military responses, countering violent extremism (CVE) programs span a broad cross-section of policy domains and has increased the range of actors involved to include those in development, conflict prevention and mitigation, education, culture, and diplomacy. Underscoring the importance of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, this brief explores the increasing roles for women in addressing conflict, violence, and extremism in South Asia.
This policy brief stems from discussions at a September 2013 workshop entitled “Strengthening Community Resilience Against Violent Extremism in South Asia: What Role for Women and Civil Society?” cohosted by CGCC and the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) and held at the National University of Singapore. The workshop provided a platform for regional experts and practitioners from a range of professional and national backgrounds to explore the gender dimension of the drivers of violence and extremism in the region and the lessons from experiences in addressing them.
The roles of women in international peace and security efforts have been underscored by the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000 and subsequent thematic resolutions on women, peace, and security issues. The roles of women as they relate to terrorism and counterterrorism issues, however, have remained less explored by policymakers and international counterterrorism actors. As the international community shifts from a reactive to a more preventive approach regarding terrorism and violent extremism, the need for a more comprehensive multistakeholder approach to addressing these challenges has become apparent. Yet, little attention has been paid to integrating a gender dimension into UN and many national efforts to address the problems of terrorism and violent extremism.
This policy brief explores the conceptual and operational challenges in integrating a gender dimension into counterterrorism policy and programming and offers a set of recommendations for the United Nations and other actors to consider when developing effective and sustainable counterterrorism efforts.
In 2001 the report of the UN Secretary-General on the prevention of armed conflict reiterated a pledge to move the United Nations from a “culture of reaction to a culture of prevention.” Reflecting these trends, international actors have expressed greater interest in taking a more preventive approach on terrorism and countering violent extremism issues. How the strategic objective of terrorism prevention is to be implemented, however, remains an ongoing challenge for policymakers and practitioners. This policy brief offers an overview of the prevention agenda at the United Nations and considers how the agenda relates to international counterterrorism efforts. Following an exploration of the tools and resources currently and potentially available to the Security Council, this brief outlines a series of recommendations for consideration by UN officials, member states, and relevant stakeholders for strengthening UN capacities and enabling a more dynamic, integrated, and proactive approach to the complex security challenges the United Nations confronts today.
A new wave of multilateral counterterrorism initiatives has the opportunity to recalibrate how criminal justice and rule of law–oriented counterterrorism capacity-building assistance is delivered to developing states with weak institutions. This policy brief argues that aligning counterterrorism capacity-building agendas within a framework informed by the Paris Principles and the development cooperation experience could greatly enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of criminal justice and rule of law capacity-building assistance in general and in preventing terrorism specifically.