Partnerships

The evolving threat posed by terrorist and violent extremist groups requires multi-faceted, agile, collaborative and innovative approaches by stakeholders at the international, regional, national and community levels. Engaging with diverse partners and embracing openness to a multitude of perspectives is fundamental to responding to the complex challenges posed by terrorism and violent extremism. The UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions as well as the Madrid Guiding Principles encourage engagement between Member States, NGOs, civil society and the private sector.

Civil society partners are often on the frontlines of preventing and countering violent extremism in communities and bring invaluable context-specific insights to UNOCT’s policy and programmes. In 2022, UNOCT pioneered the active engagement of civil society in the design, preparation, and facilitation of the Malaga Conference. Now known as the Malaga Process, this high level of engagement ensured that civil society voices were directly reflected in the outcomes of the conference, which notably called for more meaningful engagement with civil society at all stages of the counter-terrorism process, from policy to implementation. UNOCT intends to replicate this process in future events.

Strong and effective partnerships with Civil Society organizations, the private sector, academia, regional organizations and other non-state actors such as foundations, networks and associations contribute to better understanding and knowledge, deepen learning and policy discussion, and assist with the evaluation of impact and results of counter-terrorism and PCVE interventions.
Such partnerships also drive innovation and strengthen the design, development and implementation of ideas, projects and innovative solutions to counter terrorism and to prevent and counter violent extremism.

UNOCT recognizes the critical importance of establishing strong partnerships with civil society organizations (CSOs) to foster collective efforts to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism at the global, regional, national and local level. This commitment to mainstreaming participation of CSOs in UNOCT’s programmatic and policy work is outlined in the Office’s Civil Society Engagement Strategy

CSOs are uniquely placed to understand community needs and challenges, and UNOCT strives to ensure meaningful inclusion of these diverse voices as part of its whole-of-society approach to counter-terrorism. CSOs also have vital experience and credibility at the local level, and UNOCT strives to ensure their work is supported and enhanced via capacity-building and knowledge-exchange initiatives. Through offline and online events and platforms, UNOCT empowers youth, women, families, religious, cultural and education leaders, and many other community-based organizations.

In addition to facilitating engagement, capacity-building and the sharing of knowledge and expertise, UNOCT also ensures CSOs play a vital and active role as partners in the development, implementation and review of the Office’s work. This structured and strategic engagement ensures that UNOCT’s initiatives are inclusive, comprehensive and fully reflect the crucial views of civil society. Learn more about UNOCT’s work to engage civil society.

The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) recognizes the important role that the private sector plays in counter terrorism and preventing and countering of violent extremism. Private companies can assist UNOCT in its goal to achieve a future without terrorism by contributing to innovative solutions to threats posed by terrorists and violent extremists. The private sector also has a key interest in this goal in order to be able to operate globally without security concerns.

Member States have also expressed grave concern about the exploitation of new technologies and social media platforms by terrorist groups to spread their doctrine of hatred, to recruit followers and to enhance their operational capacities. Governments have been calling for more concerted action from social media companies to address the problem of terrorist and violent extremist content online. Given their enormous reach, technology companies are a key part of the solution, not only in terms of preventing the exploitation of their technologies but also in the mobilization of their know-how to design new solutions.

UNOCT is committed to increasing partnerships and cooperation with academia, contributing to the Office’s multi-stakeholder approach to counter-terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism (CT/PCVE). Universities, think tanks, and other research institutions are uniquely placed to conduct methodologically sound research on issues relating to CT/PCVE. Increased collaboration with globally diverse academic institutions supports UNOCT by keeping the Office up to date on current trends, sharing expertise, and driving evidence and results based programmatic activities.

Universities and think tanks will also benefit from increased cooperation by providing the opportunity to showcase their research to programme managers and to connect with experts in related fields. Professors and researchers are encouraged to network amongst themselves and with UNOCT staff through the Academic Community of Practice on the UNOCT Connect & Learn Platform (link). 

The UN-African Union (AU) Technical Working Group (TWG) on CT & P/CVE, launched in 2022, strengthens coherence, coordination, and cooperation between the UN and AU in their partnership in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in Africa. The TWG serves as a platform for systematic engagement and information sharing between the UN and AU, facilitating joint planning and coordination at the policy and operational levels. It is uniquely positioned to assess vulnerabilities and threats related to extremism and terrorism in Africa and to provide valuable input to UN-AU consultative meetings on strategic priority areas, gender and human rights mainstreaming, and improved effectiveness of CT and P/CVE activities on the continent. EPS chaired the first two meetings of the TWG in 2022, which identified areas of synergy between the two bodies such as border security management, countering terrorist financing, and countering the misuse of emerging technologies. With the Office’s strategic focus on Africa in 2023, the TWG provides an opportunity to consolidate and solidify the Office’s work in the region, preventing duplication of efforts and ensuring alignment with the AU.