Events

Briefing: The UN's Role in Fighting Terrorism - Where Does Its Comparative Advantage Lie?

11 July 2008 | Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, Washington, DC

On 11 July 2008, the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation and the United Nations Information Center cosponsored a breakfast briefing by Mike Smith, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive
Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate on "The UN's Role in Fighting Terrorism - Where Does Its Comparative Advantage Lie?"

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Workshop on "Enhancing Capacity Building for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy – Focusing Mainly on the Experiences of Southeast Asia"

17-18 June 2008 | Tokyo, Japan

On 17 and 18 June 2008 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Japan Institute of International Affairs hosted the fourth workshop in the “International Process on Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation,” which was co-sponsored by Turkey, Costa Rica, Japan, Slovakia, and Switzerland, and supported by the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation. The aim of the fourth workshop was to allow for reflections on the earlier workshops and an opportunity to focus sustained attention on capacity building, which the UN Strategy recognizes as a “core element of the global counter-terrorism effort.” Although not intended to reach any definitive conclusions, the two-day event allowed some 40 experts representing states, multilateral bodies, and civil society to engage in a frank discussion of the role of states, regional bodies and mechanisms, and the UN in enhancing Strategy-related capacity building, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia. The workshop provided an excellent opportunity not only to reflect on the performance of these actors in assessing vulnerabilities and delivering and facilitating Strategy-related capacity building assistance in both the traditional and non-traditional counter-terrorism areas, but to consider ways in which the overall effort could be strengthened.

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Panel Discussion: Human Rights and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy - Hopes and Challenges

12 June 2008 | Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, DC

Professor Robert K. Goldman of American University's Washington College of Law moderated a panel discussion on human rights and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy with Santiago Cantón of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Steve Crawshaw of Human Rights Watch, Ngonlardje Mbaidjol from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Eric Rosand from the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, and Martin Scheinin, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism. The discussion focused on the Center’s recent report, Human Rights and the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

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Panel Discussion: Counterterrorism Capacity Building in East Africa

11 June 2008 | Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, DC

At a panel discussion organized by the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation and the Henry L. Stimson Center, Center Director, Alistair Millar, and Richard Barno with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's Capacity Building Programme against Terrorismon discussed the challenges of counterterrorism capacity building in East Africa and the Center's report, Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa.

Click here to read the Center's report, Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa.

Panel Discussion: Counterterrorism Capacity Building in Asia and Africa

10 June 2008 | International Peace Institute, New York, NY

The International Peace Institute, together with the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations, organized an expert-level policy forum in which Center Senior Fellow, Eric Rosand, presented the findings and recommendations of the Center's report, Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa.

Click here for more information on the discussion.

Click here to read the Center's report, Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa.

Briefing by the UN Special Rapporteur Focusing on Counterterrorism and Human Rights, Dr. Martin Scheinin

9 June 2008 | US Capitol Building, Room HC-7

At a briefing organized by the Henry L. Stimson Center's Security for a New Century project and the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, Dr. Martin Scheinin, the UN Special Rapporteur focusing on counterterrorism and human rights, presented a briefing on the need for US counterterrorism efforts to comply with its obligations under international law. The briefing was based on his 2007 fact-finding exercise and legal assessment of US law and practice in the fight against terrorism and subsequent visit to Guantanamo Bay.

Click here to read a summary.

Panel Discussion: UN Terrorist Designations and Sanctions: a Fair Process and Effective Regime?

5 June 2008 | Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC

Thomas Sanderson, Deputy Director, Transnational Threats Project, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies led a panel discussion on the effectiveness and human rights implications of the UN's Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions regime. Panelists were: Richard Barrett, Coordinator of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team; Eric Rosand, Senior Fellow, Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation; and Michael Jacobson, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute on Near East Policy.

Click here to read senior fellow Eric Rosand's remarks.

Workshop on "The Role of the UN in Promoting and Strengthening the Rule of Law and Good Governance in Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy"

22-23 May 2008 | Antalya, Turkey

On 22 and 23 May 2008, the Republic of Turkey hosted the third workshop in the International Process on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, which is being co-sponsored by Turkey, Costa Rica, Japan, Slovakia, and Switzerland, and supported by the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation. That meeting, which included some 55 experts representing states, multilateral bodies, and civil society from around the world, focused on "The Role of the UN in Promoting and Strengthening the Rule of Law and Good Governance in Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy."

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Risks & Rewards of a Multilateral Counterterrorism Strategy:
A New Report on Hard Choices in a Changing International Order

9 May 2008 | New America Foundation

On 9 May 2008, Alistair Millar and Eric Rosand discussed and responded to questions regarding their new report commissioned by the Better World Campaign, Building Global Alliances in the Fight Against Terrorism, in which they contend that while targeting and capturing terrorists remain at the forefront of the nation's counterterrorism strategy, the United States will need to adopt a much more internationalist approach -- relying on multilateral cooperation for information sharing, enhancing counterterrorism capacities of states big and small, engagement of non-traditional allies, and international legitimacy. The discussion focused on the trade-offs the next administration will face in a changing international landscape.

This event was co-sponsored by the New America Foundation and the Better World Campaign, the advocacy arm of the United Nations Foundation.

Click here to see a video of the event.

Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the Western Hemisphere

31 March 2008 | New York, NY

On 31 March 2008, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations hosted a workshop on implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the Western Hemisphere. It brought together representatives from OAS member states, UN Secretariat officials, officials from the OAS Secretariat, and leading academic and other non-government experts on the region. Participants examined the nature of the terrorist threat confronting the Americas and the role of the UN, OAS, governments, civil society, and the private sector in addressing the threat.

Click here to read the discussion paper.
Click here to read the workshop summary.

Workshop on "UN Engagement with Regional, Sub-Regional and Functional Bodies and Civil Society in Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy”

17-18 March 2008 | Bratislava, Slovakia

The government of Slovakia hosted the second meeting of the International Process on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation on 17-18 March 2008 in Bratislava. That workshop dealt with the "UN Engagement with Regional, Sub-Regional and Functional Bodies and Civil Society in Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy."

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Implementing the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy in East Africa (IGAD Region)

4-5 March 2008 | Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

On 4-5 March 2008 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Center hosted a conference financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark on implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa. Experts from the UN, regional and sub-regional bodies, and academic and research institutions participated in discussions held under the Chatham House Rule. That meeting was the second as part of a Danish-sponsored project on implementing the UN Strategy in the region.

Click here to read the discussion paper.

Counterterrorism & Human Rights Discussion Panel

28 February 2008 | Columbia University Law School, New York, New York

Columbia Law School's Human Rights Institute hosted a discussion of two new publications from the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation: Handbook on Human Rights Compliance while Countering Terrorism by Dr. Alex Conte, and Human Rights and the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy: Hopes and Challenges by Eric Rosand, Alistair Millar, and Jason Ipe. Discussants included:

• Alex Conte, reader in law, University of Southampton, member, Advisory Panel of Experts to the
  UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism,
  and fellow, International Policy Institute on Counter-Terrorism
• EJ Flynn, senior human rights officer, UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, and former
  officer, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva
• Eric Rosand, senior fellow, Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation in New York and
  non-resident fellow, NYU's Center on International Cooperation
• Margaret Satterthwaite, assistant professor of clinical law and faculty director, Center on
  Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU Law School, and member, Advisory Panel of Experts to
  the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering
  terrorism.

"The long-term success of the United Nations’ global counter-terrorism strategy depends upon the protection of human rights, said experts at [the] panel discussion..." Read more.

"How the UN Can Help Stop Terrorism"

24 January 2008 | Austin, Texas

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas hosted Center Senior Fellow Eric Rosand who spoke about the role of the UN in combating terrorism.

Click here to read the article from the Daily Texan.

Workshop on "Institutional Challenges in Implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy"

21-21 January 2008 | Zurich, Switzerland

The Government of Switzerland hosted the first meeting of its expert-led "International Process on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation" on 21-22 January 2008 in Zurich. That workshop dealt with the "Institutional Challenges in Implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy."

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Workshop on "Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa"

14-15 January 2008 | Copenhagen, Denmark

On 15 and 16 January 2008 in Copenhagen, the Center hosted a workshop financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark on implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in East Africa. Experts from the UN, regional and sub-regional bodies, and academic and research institutions participated in discussions held under the Chatham House Rule. That meeting was part of a Danish-sponsored project on implementing the UN Strategy in the region. A larger follow-on meeting meeting will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in March 2008.

Click here to read the workshop summary.
Click here to read the discussion paper.

Workshop on Conditions Conducive to the Spread of Terrorism: Implementing Pillar I of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

5 December 2007 | New York, NY

The Center and the International Peace Academy organized a workshop hosted by the Permanent Mission of Belgium to the UN on "Conditions Conducive to the Spread of Terrorism: Implementing Pillar I of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy" on 5 December 2007. It brought together representatives of some 25 UN Member States, UN Secretariat officials, and leading academic and other nongovernmental experts to discuss how the UN can best address conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism identified in the September 2006 UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, how these efforts can be strengthened, and how member states can contribute to a fuller implementation of this part of the Strategy.

Click here to read the workshop summary.

Center Presents Recommendations for Addressing Youth Radicalization

30 November 2007 | New York, NY

The Center presented recommendations for addressing youth radicalization and implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy at a lunch including 100 UN officials and diplomats hosted by the Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN. Those recommendations are based on meetings convened on 11-12 July in Rome with the Istituto Affari Internazionali.

Click here to read more.