Behavioural Insights to Counter-Terrorism

Drawing from psychology, economics, and social science, behavioral insights delves into the intricacies of human decision-making by understanding the true drivers of behavior. This approach breaks away from traditional assumptions, ensuring policies and programs are tailored to real needs for maximum impact. Countering terrorism and radicalization demands evidence-based research on individual, contextual, and structural factors influencing human actions and responses.

There is no single catalyst for violent extremism, but recurring drivers can lead to radicalization. Many of these drivers are rooted in behavior and call for targeted interventions like education, youth empowerment, and community engagement. Leveraging behavioral insights enables policymakers and practitioners to identify risk factors and develop validated strategies to prevent and counter violent extremism effectively.

A behavioural insights approach enables the identification of risk and resilience factors and the development of empirically validated interventions for policymakers and practitioners to effectively prevent and counter violent extremism.

The goal of the UNOCT Behavioural Insights Hub in Doha is to harness the power of behavioural science to effectively prevent and counter terrorism. Grounded in the principles of the United Nations and guided by relevant UN documents, including the UN Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Behavioural Science and the Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda, the Hub aims to drive innovative and evidence-based approaches to address complex security challenges.

The BI Hub, a UNOCT Programme Office in Doha, was established by UNOCT in partnership with the State of Qatar, in 2020. The BI Hub acts as a global platform for creating knowledge around behavioural insights to prevent and counter terrorism, disseminating lessons learned and good practices, and creating a professional network of experts, academics, practitioners, and policymakers.

The Hub provides capacity-building support that meets the needs and priorities of Member States to address evolving terrorist threats. The Hub also provides outreach opportunities, in order to strengthen coordination among various counter-terrorism actors on behaviourally informed interventions. This serves to further mobilise resources, seek synergies for joint programming and strengthen the effective implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

As the lead unit of UNOCT working on the application of behavioural insights to counter-terrorism, the BI Hub plays an important role in carrying forward the integration of research and analysis of individual, contextual and structural factors affecting human motivations, actions, interactions, and responses that give us a better understanding of the threats of terrorism and violent extremism.

The UNOCT BI Hub is the first UN entity fully dedicated to operationalizing behavioral science in security. Its contributions are crucial in advancing UNOCT's mandate to prevent and counter terrorism. Through capacity-building initiatives, workshops, and consultations with experts and stakeholders, the BI Hub promotes the use of behavioral insights in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism. It actively engages with the international community, participating in conferences and events, and contributing to important discussions on the role of behavioral science in addressing global security challenges.

The BI Hub's achievements have been significant, in driving the application of behavioral science to enhance Counter-Terrorism efforts together with other UNOCT programmes and projects,

Our Common Agenda is the Secretary-General's vision for effective multilateralism leading up to the 2024 Summit of the Future.

UN 2.0: Revitalizing the UN System for Stronger SDG Impact–the breif outlines UN vision for a modernized system, equipped with the latest skills and a forward-thinking culture. It leverages data, innovation, digital technology, foresight, and behavioral science to accelerate progress towards the SDGs. [Full Policy Brief]

The United Nations Behavioural Science Report explores how behavioural science can be used to advance sustainable development goals and create positive social change.

The Practitioner's Guide to Getting Started with Behavioural Sciencedeveloped by UN practitioners, for UN practitioners, dives deeper into the applications of behavioural science to the UN System

The UN Behavioural Science Group promotes the use of behavioural science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. With 800+ members from 40+ UN Entities and 60 countries, the group raises awareness, provides learning opportunities, and collaborates with experts and organizations to design effective interventions.

Guidance Note. Developing a Behavioural Insights Approach to Fostering Resilience in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE)

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