Human Rights
CGCC’s work emphasizes the inherent linkages among respect for human rights, good governance, and effectively combating terrorism and aims to address the tensions that sometimes emerge among these concepts in practice. CGCC has provided analysis and recommendations for better integrating human rights considerations into the UN counterterrorism program, including to the Security Council’s sanctions regime. CGCC also conducts human rights–focused trainings as part of its capacity-building work in different regions around the world. For example, in 2011, CGCC piloted a four-day training seminar in Uganda on human rights–compliant interrogation techniques. In 2012, CGCC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark cohost a conference that focused on various human rights issues, identifying guidance to ensure those standards are upheld, as part of ongoing efforts to build capabilities to address counterterrorism and human rights issues in third countries.
Latest
Publications
Reckoning with the Consequences of Two Decades of Counterterrorism
This opinion piece in The Hill penned by executive director Eelco Kessels reflects on the twenty years since September 11th to underscore the urgency of restoring human rights and centering civil society in global security efforts....
Events
New York / Virtual and HybridThe Second Counter-Terrorism Week and High-Level Conference
The Global Center participated in and hosted events during the UN's Second Counter-Terrorism Week. From 21-30 June 2021, the United Nations organized the Second Counter-Terrorism Week and High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States to accompany the negotiations and adoption of the seventh review of the UN...
Events
New York / Virtual RoundtablesGlobal Center Roundtable Series
The Global Center is hosting a series of interactive, informal roundtable discussions on substantive issues and new developments relating to violent extremism, terrorism, and counterterrorism with guest speakers representing the United Nations, national governments, civil society, and the private sector. These roundtables are part of the Global Center’s work on...
Publications
Blue Sky V: An Independent Analysis of UN Counterterrorism Efforts
This report, the fifth in the “Blue Sky” series, explores how the UN’s comparative advantage can be leveraged to improve the policy development, interagency coordination, delivery, and impact of counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism efforts in support of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It first observes the growth of...
Publications
Artificial Intelligence and Data Capture Technologies in Violence and Conflict Prevention
In this policy brief, Eleonore Pauwels examines how artificial intelligence and data capture technologies can be positively harnessed and potentially misused, as the new paradigm of predictive behavioral analysis and population data capture is increasingly being presented as a solution to challenges in humanitarian action, conflict prevention, and counterterrorism. The...
Publications
Enhancing Civil Society Engagement
This paper presents the key findings and recommendations from consultations with civil society organized in connection with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) regional high-level conferences on counterterrorism, in which UNOCT partnered with the Global Center to organize two one-day, civil society–led workshops preceding the last two regional conferences. It...
Events
New York / Virtual2020 Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week
The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism organized its first Virtual Counter-Terrorism week in lieu of the 2020 Counter-Terrorism Week, were they hosted ten webinars and interactive discussions over the course of the week under the overarching theme of “Strategic and Practical Challenges of Countering Terrorism in a Global Pandemic Environment” to...
Events
New York / VirtualBlue Sky V: Summary Findings and Recommendations for the Implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
In the lead up to the 2020 Virtual UN Counter-Terrorism Week, the Global Center launched the summary findings and key recommendations of the fifth iteration of its Blue Sky report series. With the generous support of the governments of the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, the report builds on the Global...
Events
Vienna, AustriaForeign Terrorist Fighters – Addressing Current Challenges: Civil Society Workshop in Advance of the Joint UN-OSCE Regional High-Level Conference
The one-day workshop for civil society representatives preceded the Joint Regional High-Level Conference and provided a dedicated opportunity for participating representatives from civil society to reflect on their experiences in addressing current challenges posed by foreign terrorist fighters. The meeting also allowed for perspectives from civil society to be incorporated...
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