Participants in the CTED-GRN meeting in New York.
Academic institutions and the evidence-based research they produce play an important role in supporting the work of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate (CTED). To exchange information about recent research and emerging issues, CTED organised an in-person gathering of its Global Research Network (GRN) on the margins of the seventy-eight United Nations General Assembly (#UNGA78) High-Level Week. Held at CTED¡¯s offices in New York on 21 September 2023, the meeting included 15 GRN members representing 12 organisations.
Mr. David Scharia, Director and Head of the Technical Expertise and Research Branch of CTED, emphasized the robust and valuable partnership that exists since GRN¡¯s launch in February 2015 between CTED and GRN members, underscoring the network¡¯s significant contributions to UN Security Council policy-making and CTED¡¯s mandate, through its research on terrorism, counter-terrorism, and countering violent extremism (CVE).
Mr. Scharia also briefed GRN members on the Counter-Terrorism Committee¡¯s and CTED¡¯s priorities, referring to CTED¡¯s efforts in supporting Member States in addressing evolving terrorist threats. The latter include the intensification of the terrorism threat on the African continent; the growth of terrorism on the basis of xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief (XRIRB); as well as the use of technologies for terrorist purposes. With regards to technologies, Mr. Scharia recalled the adoption, by the Counter-Terrorism Committee in October 2022, of the Delhi Declaration on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes. He additionally highlighted CTED¡¯s efforts to develop non-binding principles in consultation with civil society organisations and relevant partners for the three areas covered by the Delhi Declaration.
GRN members¡¯ suggestions for CTED¡¯s engagement included threats and opportunities provided by artificial intelligence (AI) in terrorism and countering terrorism; transnational crimes and the intersection of trafficking flows benefiting terrorism networks; and a comparative analysis on prosecution of terrorist offences in domestic courts.
Additional photos from the GRN in-person gathering can be accessed through CTED¡¯s dedicated .
Launched in February 2015, CTED¡¯s Global Research Network brings together more than 100 leading research institutions from across the globe and helps CTED keep abreast of emerging terrorism trends and identify and share good practices in Member States¡¯ implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions. In the coming years, CTED expects to further strengthen its cooperation and engagement with GRN.