Strengthening Multilateral Engagement on Countering Violent Extremism

MEETING NOTE Strengthening Multilateral Engagement on Countering Violent Extremism INTRODUCTION On the margins of the opening of the sixty-ninth UN General Assembly, and the fifth Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) Ministerial meeting, the governments of Denmark and Mali convened a high-level meeting on countering violent extremism (CVE) on 23 September 2014, co-hosted by H.E. Martin Lidegaard, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and H.E. Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and International Cooperation of Mali. Highlevel speakers included H.E. John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada; Joseph ole Lenku, Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, Kenya; H.E. Gebran Bassil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Lebanon; Štefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and H.E. Martin Lidegaard, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark and H.E. Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and International Cooperation of Mali Neighbourhood Policy, European Union; and Tina Kaidanow, Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State, United States of America. Additional statements from the floor were made by Ms. Saja Majali, Director of the International Relations and Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Human Rights and Human Security of Jordan and newly appointed Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations in Geneva; Ms. Laila Bokhari, State Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister of Norway; and H.E. Major General Faris Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Military Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. Among the participants were high-level representatives from Australia, Nigeria, The Netherlands, and Turkey, as well as officials from UN entities such as the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), Counter- Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Department of Peacekeeping

Operations (DPKO), and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Alistair Millar, Executive Director of the Global Center on Cooperative Security, moderated the discussion. Panelists highlighted the critical challenges posed by violent extremism today on their countries development and security, including the role of foreign terrorist fighters (FTF), and identified opportunities to intensify national, regional, and international efforts to combat the threat. A number of representatives also shared experiences and lessons learned from their CVE programs and initiatives. It was noted that while terrorism and violent extremism are not new challenges, there has been a qualitative change in that the issue has become increasingly transnational, with complex security dynamics. The lines between insurgent and armed groups, extremists, and terrorists have become blurred, and the movement of foreign terrorist fighters have added new security concerns in their destination and transit countries, as well as at home. THE EVOLVING THREAT OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM Representing different parts of the globe, senior officials highlighted how extremist groups have taken advantage of globalization to expand their networks and operations. These groups often target and exploit areas marked by ongoing conflicts and tension. They exploit local and regional grievances and are able to effectively use communication technologies, such as the Internet and social media, to spread their violent ideologies, draw support, and mobilize recruits from across physical and political boundaries. Speakers cautioned that violent extremism is not linked to any specific race, culture, nationality, ethnicity, or religion, and emphasized that it is a H.E. Martin Lidegaard, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Denmark The phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters was also of particular concern, not only for Western countries, but also countries like Kenya, Lebanon, and Mali, which have been targets of FTF activity. For example, Mr. Lenku pointed out that the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi was carried out by al-shabaab trained militants of various nationalities. Mali also suffered from the impact of foreign fighters in the region following the global threat that requires a global response. H.E. Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and International Cooperation, Mali (September 2014) dissolution of the Qadhafi regime in Libya and is vulnerable to a future influx of fighters due to ongoing instability in the region. Minister Diop further noted the interconnectedness of groups across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahel, specifically mentioning the presence of groups linked to al-qaida and Boko Haram in

Mali. The Malian Minister cautioned that the current counterterrorism campaign in the Middle East might result in an incursion of militants in other regions, particularly in vulnerable areas in West Africa and the Sahel. The regional threats posed by violent extremist groups and foreign terrorist fighters was also highlighted by senior officials from Lebanon, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. In Lebanon, for example, Minister Bassil estimated that there are about three thousand Daesh 1 fighters in Lebanon whose aim is to create chaos so that they can infiltrate society. He H.E. John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada noted that three soldiers were tragically killed by these fighters, while more are being held as hostages. Ambassador Majali highlighted the potential threat to Jordan and relayed their whole-of-government approach to countering violent extremism including efforts through faith leaders, education services, intelligence and law enforcement, and policy measures. There is also particular concern in North America and the European Union that individuals exposed to violent radicalization in theaters of conflict might return to their home countries, as EU Commissioner, Mr. Štefan Füle noted, with a dangerous delusion that they are part of a wider terrorism movement, and may be in a position to apply their training and ideology to carry out terrorist attacks or foster recruitment for extremist groups. H.E. Al Mazrouei of the UAE also expressed concern about the current wave of extremism and terrorism and the threat it poses not only to regional stability but to international peace and security, and reiterated the UAE s commitment to combating violent extremism and support for CVE activities, including Hedayah, the International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism in Abu Dhabi. ADDRESSING AND RESPONDING TO THE THREAT OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM The discussions highlighted some innovative initiatives undertaken by governments and the international community to prevent terrorism and counter violent extremism. States have been working both bilaterally and multilaterally to support and strengthen counterterrorism and CVE capacities and to share good practices and lessons learned in addressing the threat. The emergence of new institutions, such as the GCTF, along with the UN s counterterrorism framework, provides a valuable opportunity to harness multilateral support in advancing a strategic, balanced, and comprehensive approach to countering violent extremism. The adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2178 2 1 Daesh is shorthand for the full Arabic name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL): al-dawla al-islamiya fi al-iraq wa al-sham. The French government announced that they would use this term to refer to the group. Adam Taylor, France is Ditching the Islamic State Name and Replacing it With a Label the Group Hates, Washington Post, 17 September 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/17/france-is-ditching-the-islamic-statename-and-replacing-it-with-a-label-the-group-hates/. 2 UN Security Council, S/RES/2178, 24 September 2014.

and also the GCTF s Hague-Marrakech memorandum on good practices, 3 both of which emphasize the importance of developing and implementing CVE policies and programming to counter the FTF threat, demonstrates the responsiveness of the multilateral system and provides opportunities for fresh thinking and programming to address contemporary security challenges. Supporting Regional Partnerships While speakers emphasized the importance of collective international action to prevent violent extremism and terrorism, focus was also placed on building regional alliances to counter the threat. Underscoring this point, Minister Lidegaard noted that Denmark has been working with Kenya in the Horn of Africa and with Canada and Burkina Faso in the Sahel to provide training and capacity-building assistance to local governments and communities in the region, for example, to counter the financing of terrorism and to promote the exchange of best practices and lessons learned in countering violent extremism. In addition, the governments of Burkina Faso and Denmark, under the auspices of the GCTF Sahel working group, developed and implemented a number of initiatives to address the spread of violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel, Joseph ole Lenku, Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, Kenya including through research and training. Denmark has also launched a $22 million (USD) Sahel program through 2017, which includes a CVE component. Foreign Minister Baird emphasized that violent extremism is a long-term threat that requires long-term solutions, and noted that Canada has invested $66 million toward global counterterrorism capacity-building efforts in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. In addition, the EU has also been supporting security sector and law enforcement training in the Horn of Africa, as well as a number of CVE initiatives in South Asia. Strengthening Multilateral CVE Capacities and Sharing Best Practices On the multilateral level, a number of mechanisms have been developed to support member states in their counterterrorism and CVE efforts. The EU, for example, is supporting a range of long- and short- term CVE programs across the globe, including in South Asia, East Africa, and the Sahel, totaling about 25 million. Senior officials representing Denmark, Canada, the EU, and the United States for example, welcomed the CVE efforts of the GCTF, particularly its various working groups and CVE-specific 3 Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) Initiative: The Hague- Marrakech Memorandum on Good Practices for a More Effective Response to the FTF Phenomenon, n.d., https://www.thegctf.org/documents/10162/140201/14sept19_the+hague- Marrakech+FTF+Memorandum.pdf.

initiatives, such as Hedayah and the Global Fund for Community Engagement and Resilience (GCERF) in Switzerland. Through the adoption of several non-binding memoranda, including on rehabilitation and reintegration, community policing, education, and responding to foreign terrorist fighters, the GCTF also Štefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and provides practical guidelines for Neighbourhood Policy, European Union developing and implementing counterterrorism and CVE activities at the national, regional, and international levels. Addressing Radicalization and Recruitment Speakers reiterated that the best approach to addressing the threat of violent extremism is to prevent it from happening in the first place, or to start at the beginning, rather than being reactive, according to Ambassador Kaidanow. A number of countries and regions, including Denmark, Kenya, Norway, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union have been proactive in developing their counterradicalization and CVE strategies. For example, the EU, through the Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN), is facilitating and sharing good practices among practitioners to address radicalization and recruitment and is also fostering cooperation among CVE experts. Norway also developed an Action Plan Against Radicalization and Violent Extremism in an effort to improve preventive measures against radicalization, including the promotion of community participation, social inclusion, and equality. The United States also emphasizes the importance of empowering local communities and partners with the necessary tools and knowledge to identify early signs of radicalization and to respond in an appropriate and effective manner. Engaging with Communities and Civil Society Tina Kaidanow, Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State, United States of America Recognizing that CVE initiatives cannot be undertaken by governments alone, speakers emphasized that communities and local partners need to be engaged to complement and enhance CVE efforts, as well as to strengthen community resilience against the threat. Violent extremist groups usually prey on vulnerable communities and as Foreign Minister Baird pointed out, any meaningful response to radicalization must come from within those communities. Offering further illustrative examples, Mr. Füle pointed out that the EU has supported a project in the Horn of Africa that focuses on understanding the challenges faced by EU-born

Somali youth in Somaliland and empowering women s organizations in the region to counter violent extremism, as well as building the CVE capacities of media and civil society in Pakistan. In addition, Mr. Lenku pointed out that Kenya s national counterterrorism strategy also promotes community and youth engagement. Promoting Tolerance and Dialogue Counterradicalization and CVE strategies and initiatives in a number of countries, such as Jordan, Kenya, and Mali, include promoting tolerance and cultural and interfaith dialogue. In Mali, where there is an ongoing peace process, efforts include facilitating interfaith dialogue and promoting the values of a tolerant and peaceful Islam according to Foreign Minister Diop. As part of this effort, Mali, with support from the government of Morocco, has undertaken a program to train 500 Malian Imams, as well as female religious leaders. Imam trainings are also being supported by the UAE and H.E. Gebran Bassil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Lebanon Jordan. For example, since 2010, the UAE has been conducting trainings for Afghan Imams on preaching messages of moderation and tolerance. Building on the foundations of the 2005 Amman Message, the Royal Aal al-bayt Institute for Thought in Jordan also promotes religious tolerance and co-existence and supports interfaith and cultural dialogue as a way of countering extremism. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations for States Enhance South-South Cooperation. There have been growing partnerships between and among countries to address the increasingly transnational threat of violent extremism, largely through North-South cooperation. While this type of cooperation is valuable in contributing to the development of national expertise and technical capacities, experts and practitioners alike have recognized the need to develop CVE initiatives based on deep knowledge of local, national, and regional contexts. This approach can benefit greatly from deeper South-South cooperation, particularly for developing countries that share common historical and cultural ties, or development challenges. For example, through its counterradicalization strategy, Morocco has provided technical assistance and shared best practices with neighboring countries by providing religious training for Imams in Mali, Guinea, and Côte d Ivoire. International actors can support these efforts by facilitating platforms where experts and officials can gather to exchange experiences and lessons learned, and by supporting the development of knowledge products that can be circulated among partners. Travel, study tours, and trainings are other convening opportunities that could further enhance exposure to a range of policies and programs in practice, and allow professional counterparts additional opportunities to deepen their engagement and networks.

International actors could also support in-depth research on sources of national or regional resilience against violent extremism in order to learn from those countries, particularly in vulnerable regions, in which violent extremist ideas and groups have not gained widespread support. The results of these studies could be shared in multistakeholder regional workshops that bring together experts and practitioners to reflect on the findings and develop initiatives that strengthen community resilience against the threat of terrorism and violent extremism. Adopt a Whole-of-Government Approach to Countering Violent Extremism. During the discussions, a number of countries noted challenges in developing an integrated and coordinated strategy to counter violent extremism. Adopting a whole-ofgovernment approach to countering violent extremism would help to ensure that all the relevant parts of the government, in particular those that interact with citizens at the community level, are involved and working together when implementing CVE initiatives. Such an approach, which would include ministries and agencies focused on education, development, public security, and criminal justice, among others, could help to mainstream CVE efforts at the national level. This might include providing CVE awareness-raising and training for practitioners and frontline officials within those ministries and agencies, for example, through the facilitation of national conferences and workshops. For instance, workshops could focus on how different practitioners work relates to countering violent extremism and how that work can contribute to national and even international CVE efforts. Consulting with these nontraditional ministries and agencies could be valuable in developing comprehensive and multidimensional CVE strategies and initiatives. Hedayah could also play an important role in supporting or providing CVE training for national delegations, where delegates could learn more about countering violent extremism at the international level and how they might apply those concepts to national and local contexts. Increase CVE Awareness and Training among Practitioners. While awareness about CVE policies and programming is growing, particularly in security-related sectors of governments, regional, and international organizations, the concept is little understood and often misinterpreted among many other sectors. Although this is due in part to the fact that countering violent extremism remains an emerging field of practice and research, it should be noted that there is general agreement on its core elements, which include social and development initiatives in addition to law enforcement and counterterrorism. Developing a series of fora and platforms through conferences, radio and television programs, and social media campaigns, for example, among practitioners in the fields of development, education, peacebuilding, and culture can help raise awareness about CVE. This type of awareness-raising could also help to harness domestic support for CVE programs and contribute to the development of a network of CVE practitioners and experts that can help to inform policies and programming.

Recommendations for Regional and International Actors Support National and Regional CVE Capacities. It was reiterated during the discussions that there is no one-size-fits all approach to CVE and the need exists to support countries and regional organizations in developing tailored and contextsensitive approaches to violent extremism. Given increased efforts by international actors, such as the United Nations and GCTF, to help support national and regional CVE capacities, caution should be taken not to wholly apply similar practices and initiatives from one region or country to the next. In-depth consultations with government officials across all related ministries and agencies, practitioners, experts, and civil society groups could help to more effectively tailor CVE initiatives. For example, through a consultative process in West Africa and the Sahel involving governments, civil society, local communities, and international actors, a regional action agenda was developed outlining a range of activities that could be undertaken by national, regional, and international actors to enhance CVE efforts in the region. 4 International and regional actors could support the development of similar action agendas for different regions and sub-regions, or even for states at the request of national governments, to counter violent extremism and related threats. Enhance Early Warning Capacities. There are a number of existing early warning mechanisms for conflict prevention in different sub-regions and regions, such as the African Union s Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) and the ECOWAS Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) in West Africa. These mechanisms could provide an important platform for enhancing early warning capacities to prevent violent extremism. Regional and international actors could help to support regional and sub-regional organizations to expand their capacities to include early warning to counter violent extremism, which could also include an enhanced role for local communities, including women, youth, and civil society organizations. Deepen the CVE Knowledge Base. As the concept of countering violent extremism continues to be developed, it is important to also understand how the current threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters and violent extremist groups around the world, as well as the new dynamics of conflict and instability, relate to an evolution in the ideologies and operations of these groups. This might include supporting in-depth research studies to understand local drivers of violence and extremism, particularly in areas affected by or that may become targets for violent extremist groups, similar to studies conducted in Kenya and Burkina Faso, for example. 5 4 Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation et al., Countering Violent Extremism and Promoting Community Engagement in West Africa and the Sahel: An Action Agenda, July 2013, http://globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/action-agenda-eng.pdf. 5 Liat Shetret, Matthew Schwartz, and Danielle Cotter, Mapping Perceptions of Violent Extremism: Pilot Study of Community Attitudes in Kenya and Somaliland, Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, January 2013, http://globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/jan2013_mpve_pilotstudy.pdf; and Augustin Loada and Peter Romaniuk, Preventing Violent Extremism in Burkina Faso: Toward National Resilience Amid Regional Insecurity, Global Center on Cooperative Security, June 2014, http://www.globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bf-assessment-eng-with-logos-low-res.pdf.

In addition, while there is an increasing number of initiatives to support the role of women in countering violent extremism by international actors such as the GCTF and OSCE, it is important to also understand the role that women play as active supporters and sympathizers of terrorist and violent extremist ideologies and causes. For example, women have joined violent movements in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Peru, and there have been reports that women have formed their own force within the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 6 Even with this awareness, there remains a gap in research as to why women support and join violent extremist groups, and whether this support is qualitatively related to gender. Support for further field research, supported for example by organizations like Hedayah and other partners, is crucial to addressing this challenge and to developing appropriate responses. Enhance Community Engagement to Counter Violent Extremism. International actors, such as the United Nations, GCTF, and the EU actively promote the role of civil society in countering violent extremism. Most recently, the UN Security Council called on member states to engage relevant local communities and non-governmental actors in developing strategies to counter the violent extremist narrative... by empowering youth, families, women, religious, cultural and education leaders. 7 As the discussions highlighted, traditional, religious, and cultural leaders are often widely respected in communities and can be powerful and credible voices against extremism and violence. Facilitating fora for deeper engagement between these community leaders and policymakers and practitioners, for example, could be helpful in understanding and responding to the needs and grievances of those at risk of becoming radicalized or recruited into violent extremist groups. Providing training on subjects like journalism, blogging, engaging media, leadership, and public speaking, for example, and increasing access to resources to undertake such initiatives, can help empower local voices to challenge extremist narratives, or provide alternative ones. However, as noted during a UN briefing on foreign terrorist fighters and Resolution 2178, government and international actors should be careful not to securitize civil society organizations in promoting and implementing CVE initiatives. Moreover, governments must take care to preserve the independence, security, and integrity of partners to help ensure their continued credibility. Supporting inter- and intra- faith dialogue and engagement could also help to promote a culture of peace and understanding, especially in ethnically and religiously diverse societies. These and other local, community-based CVE initiatives could be supported through GCERF, which was established by the GCTF as a result of greater international recognition that small local organizations could have the greatest impact at the community level, but often lack the necessary resources to carry out their programs. These community-based initiatives could be guided by the GCTF s good 6 Nimmi Gowrinathan, The Women of ISIS: Understanding and Combating Female Extremism, Foreign Affairs, 21 August 2014, http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141926/nimmi-gowrinathan/the-womenof-isis. 7 UN Security Council, S/RES/2178, 24 September 2014, para. 16.

practice documents on education and CVE and on community engagement and community-oriented policing. 8 Include a CVE Component in Criminal Justice and Rule of Law-Based Capacity- Building Efforts. Recognizing that counterterrorism responses that violate rule of law and international human rights principles could be counterproductive, training programs for security and justice officials could include a CVE component that focuses on preventive engagement, early warning, and counternarrative work. While these trainings benefit primarily from national and local expertise and insights, they could also reflect international norms and practices, such as the GCTF s Ankara Memorandum on Good Practices for a Multisectoral Approach to CVE9 or the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. In this regard, strengthening partnerships between national and international actors can contribute to increased capacity-building activities, such as law enforcement trainings. The need for greater collaboration and exchange of good practices should be emphasized given the global threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters and the challenges surrounding their potential return home. On the international level, stakeholders could also ensure that these good practices are well integrated into the curricula of the International Institute of Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), which provides rule of law-based training to lawmakers, police, prosecutors, judges, corrections officials, and other justice sector stakeholders on how to address terrorism and other related transnational crimes. 8 The Global Counterterrorism Forum, Abu Dhabi Memorandum on Good Practices for Education and Countering Violent Extremism, n.d., https://www.thegctf.org/documents/10162/140201/14sept19_gctf+abu+dhabi+memorandum.pdf; and Good Practices on Community Engagement and Community-Oriented Policing as Tools to Counter Violent Extremism, n.d., https://www.thegctf.org/documents/10162/72352/13aug09_community+engagement+and+community- Oriented+Policing+Good+Practices+++.pdf. 9 The Global Counterterrorism Forum, Ankara Memorandum on Good Practices for a Multi-Sectoral Approach to Countering Violent Extremism, n.d., https://www.thegctf.org/documents/10162/88482/final+ankara+memorandum.pdf.

Acknowledgments The Global Center is grateful to the government of Denmark for its generous support of this project. This meeting note was prepared by a Global Center team that included Rafia Barakat Bhulai, Naureen Chowdhury Fink, Melissa Lefas, and Alistair Millar, and reflects the rapporteurs perspectives and not the opinions of the Governments of Denmark or Mali. About the Global Center The Global Center on Cooperative Security works with governments, international organizations, and civil society to develop and implement comprehensive and sustainable responses to complex international security challenges through collaborative policy research, context-sensitive programming, and capacity development. In cooperation with a global network of expert practitioners and partner organizations, the Global Center fosters stronger multilateral partnerships and convenes key stakeholders to support integrated and inclusive security policies across national, regional, and global levels. WASHINGTON DC 1101 14th Street, NW Suite 900 Washington, DC 20005 NEW YORK 747 Third Avenue 4th Floor New York, NY 10017 GLOBAL CENTER (UK) 11 12 Tokenhouse Yard London EC2R 7AS United Kingdom GOSHEN 129 South Main Street Suite 1 Goshen, IN 46526 www.globalcenter.org