Developed for the Knowledge Platform Security and Rule of Law, this paper presents a series of thematic discussions derived from the literature on policing in a number of African countries. Taking a developmental and human security perspective, the paper focuses on the diffuse networks of nonstate and state providers that serve as the primary safety and security providers for a vast majority of communities. Although hybrid policing systems vary in capacity and end-user satisfaction, traditional statutory policing structures are generally characterized by severe dysfunction, politicization, and abuse with impunity. Considering the diverse challenges faced by many national police actors on the continent, the paper questions the efficacy of prevailing state-centric security assistance programs and their overwhelming focus on strengthening “enforcement” capacities. It cautions donors to take a more considered approach to ensure their police assistance activities are supporting the protection, not the predation, of local communities.
Policing and (In)security in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings: A Review of Perspectives on Policing in Sub-Saharan Africa
Money laundering and terrorism financing pose significant threats to security and development efforts worldwide and increasingly undermine the integrity and stability of the global financial system. In recent years, there has been increasing political will and tangible progress on anti–money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) issues in the region. In order to capitalize on this momentum, the Global Center, supported by the Government of Denmark, has produced a detailed research study of AML/CFT developments and remaining challenges in the region, building on a 2012 also supported by the Government of Denmark, titled “ISSP-CGCC Joint Baseline Study on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism in the IGAD Subregion.”
The report includes cutting-edge information and analysis from 10 countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Yemen. It provides a snapshot of the underlying economic and socio-political climate in each country, followed by an in-depth analysis of AML/CFT developments and achievements, as well as remaining capacity and implementation challenges. The report includes recommendations for initiatives that support jurisdictions in addressing capacity challenges and building more robust AML/CFT regimes and discusses regulatory challenges and financial inclusion opportunities posed by emerging technologies, such as mobile banking, within the region.
The Global Center on Cooperative Security is pleased to announce the publication of the report, “Preventing Violent Extremism in Burkina Faso: Toward National Resilience Amid Regional Insecurity.” The report is coauthored by Profs. Augustin Loada (Executive Director of the Ouagadougou-based Centre pour la Gouvernance Democratique) and Peter Romaniuk (Senior Fellow at the Global Center in New York). At a time when violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel is at the top of the regional and international agenda, the report assesses the threat to Burkina Faso and surveys sources of resilience. The report finds that Burkina Faso is vulnerable to violent extremism but the threat is not imminent, while arguing that stakeholders (the Government of Burkina Faso, its international partners and civil society groups) should take steps to prevent the emergence of violent extremism and build resilience.
_________________________________________________
The Global Center on Cooperative Security est heureux d’annoncer la publication de la rapport, «Prévention de l’extrémisme violent au Burkina Faso: Vers une résilience nationale dans un context d’insécurité régionale». Le rapport est co-écrit par les professeurs, Augustin Loada (Directeur exécutif du centre pour la Gouvernance Démocratique basé à Ouagadougou) et Peter Romaniuk (Senior Fellow au Global Center à New York). À une époque où l’extrémisme violent en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Sahel est en tête de l’agenda régional et international, le rapport évalue la menace au Burkina Faso et passe en revue ses sources de résilience. Le rapport constate que le Burkina Faso est vulnérable à l’extrémisme violent, mais la menace n’est pas imminente, tout en démontrant que les parties prenantes (le gouvernement du Burkina Faso, ses partenaires internationaux et les groupes de la société civile) doivent prendre des mesures pour empêcher l’émergence de l’extrémisme violent et renforcer la résilience.
Professional, accountable and responsive criminal justice systems are essential for addressing a range of complex security challenges while safeguarding human rights and upholding the rule of law. To be effective, the entire system, from lawmakers to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, judges, and prison administrators, and other actors involved in delivering and ensuring the accountability of justice and security services, require ongoing training and capacity development. Particularly in transitional, fragile and conflict-affected countries, developing the capacity of institutions that can uphold the rule of law and protect human rights are crucial for enhancing safety and security, strengthening accountability, promoting good governance.
This report, co-authored by the Global Center’s Alistair Millar and Matthew Schwartz, outlines a series of recommendations for the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) in developing a curricula and program agenda based on the diverse needs of a multi-national and cross-regional constituency of partner countries. Once established, the IIJ will serve as a training center dedicated to strengthening criminal justice institutions, promoting regional legal cooperation, and fostering criminal justice practitioner networks based on a respect for human rights and the rule of law. The core findings and recommendations of this report are derived from a larger European Union-supported study undertaken by an expert team led by Millar under the auspices of CIVI.POL Conseil. Based on extensive desk research, seven country visits, and consolations with more than 200 stakeholders, the study assessed criminal justice-related counterterrorism capacity building and training needs in 18 focus countries across East Africa and the Horn, the Middle East and North Africa, and West Africa the Sahel.
The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted by the General Assembly in 2006, presented a watershed moment for the institution that has historically faced fundamental divisions on counterterrorism issues, which has limited cooperation among member states. The broad consensus reflected in the Strategy’s multidimensional response to terrorism, including a strong emphasis on prevention, across the international, regional, and national levels, has provided a critical foundation for collaborative international efforts to address transnational terrorism and violent extremism. The biennial review process offers member states the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment and shape multilateral norms and initiatives to address this complex challenge.
In anticipation of the review, which took place on 12-13 June 2014, this report reflects on the United Nations’ performance on counterterrorism issues since the adoption of the Strategy in 2006, and in particular, developments since the 2012 review. It offers a strategic analysis of the changing counterterrorism landscape since the last review and explores ways of enhancing the review process to meet member state demands for a more substantive and effective process. The report concludes with a set of practical recommendations for the UN and member states to strengthen UN counterterrorism capacities, particularly through internal coordination, responsive programming, improved reporting, and strategic communication.
This report is the second in the Global Center’s “Blue Sky” series, and follows on the 2012 report entitled “Reshaping United Nations Counterterrorism Efforts: Blue-Sky Thinking for Global Counterterrorism Cooperation 10 Years After 9/11.”
The media plays an important role in terrorism and counterterrorism. Because of its capacity to relay information, frame narratives, shape public opinion, and inform both politics and policymaking, the media is a critical vehicle to convey ideas that legitimize or delegitimize terrorists and violent extremist groups and narratives. Violent extremist groups have used the media, particularly the Internet, to link local grievances to global narratives, and to radicalize and mobilize supporters. South Asia has a long history of confronting violence and extremism, particularly from groups espousing a wide variety of ideologies, including ethno-national, separatist, right and left wing, and religious (or sectarian) causes. Within this environment, South Asia’s vibrant and diverse media has often been at the forefront of a rich cultural and political discourse and plays an important role in framing and informing public opinion, and in challenging extremist ideas and acts. However, there have also been concerns about the use of the media to incite violence and perpetuate tensions between different communities.
This report analyzes the media’s important role in contemporary terrorism and argues for greater focus on the role of the media in countering violent extremism (CVE), both as a platform for communication and as a professional body that can shape perceptions, offer balanced information, and create protected spaces for critical debate and dialogue. The publication draws on a desktop literature review, discussions held during a workshop on “The Role of the Media in Addressing Terrorism and Violent Extremism in South Asia” at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore, and extensive dialogue with practitioners, experts, and government officials. This report offers a set of recommendations for actors at the national, regional, and international levels to consider when engaging with the media for CVE purposes in South Asia.
Building the capacity and strengthening the oversight and accountability of national justice and security institutions are critical elements of effective rule of law–based governance. National, regional, and international training institutes serve as crucial sources of support and expertise to states working to develop their justice and security systems to provide more efficient and responsive services to their citizens and cooperate more effectively with international partners. This report consists of three guidance papers developed to support the curriculum design process of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, an initiative sponsored by the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
The report aims to provide guidance to the institute on a range of issues, including: engaging national policymakers and senior officials as partners in rule of law-related capacity development; designing training curricula in the context of justice and security capacity development; and utilizing immersive role-playing exercises for criminal justice practitioners in the institute’s training curricula. The papers presented in this report were developed based on inputs gathered from an international community of experts over the course of a six-month stakeholder consultation process undertaken with the generous support of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The process brought together criminal justice officials, diplomats, jurists, law enforcement officers and expert scholar-practitioners from across the globe to discuss a range of innovative tools and best practices in curricula development for justice and security training institutes.
As the threat from terrorism becomes more diffuse and transnational, with newly emerging self-radicalized or homegrown individuals or groups, so too have the tools of counterterrorism continued to evolve. Policymakers and practitioners are focusing more on preventing radicalization and recruitment and improving the resilience of individuals and communities against the appeal of violent extremism. Reflective of these trends, efforts on countering violent extremism (CVE) have emerged in a relatively short period as an increasingly important instrument in the counterterrorism tool kit for both states and multilateral actors, such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the United Nations.
This report draws on the symposium discussions and related literature, emphasizing the ways in which the field has advanced since the publication of the Global Center’s earlier report, “From Input to Impact: Evaluating Terrorism Prevention Programs.” It captures the main conceptual and operational challenges in evaluating CVE programs, as reflected in recent practice, and offers four case studies demonstrating experiences and lessons learned from evaluating CVE programming and progress in the field. This report analyzes the current state of play on that basis and suggests opportunities for further developing the field of evaluation and its application to CVE programming.
This report outlines an agenda for enhancing partnerships among the international community, governments in the region, civil society, and local communities for countering violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel. It is the product of an 18-19 April 2013 workshop on the topic, hosted in Ouagadougou by the governments of Burkina Faso and Denmark under the auspices of the Global Counterterrorism Forum and convened by the Global Center. The workshop highlighted four recurring themes that capture the range of CVE and CVE-relevant programming:
1) Empower local community, government, and traditional leaders to work on conflict prevention and resolution in a region that has been plagued by several prolonged conflicts;
2) Strengthen law enforcement, criminal justice, and security sector actors through training and technical assistance focusing on community engagement, the rule of law, and human rights;
3) Actively engage and support civil society at the regional and international level; and
4) Identify and prevent violent extremism by addressing its structural and ideological drivers.
Building on those four themes and other inputs collected from participants during the workshop, this Action Agenda outlines a range of proposed activities to enhance existing CVE-relevant efforts.
This joint CGCC and United Nations report summarizes the outcomes of a multiyear project led by the UN and aimed at developing a common understanding of sound practices to counter the risk of terrorism financing through the nonprofit sector, protecting the sector and preventing terrorist abuse of nonprofit organizations. The project included two global-level meetings and five regional-level expert meetings. More than 50 states and 80 nonprofit organizations participated in the meetings, in addition to representatives of relevant UN and multilateral agencies, officials from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF-style regional bodies, and the financial sector.