Updated Guidance on ODA-Eligible Activities for Preventing Violent Extremism: Implications and Opportunities for the European Union

By Alistair Millar

Report — May 2017

This paper assesses how the revised Official Development Assistance (ODA) guidelines will impact the European Union (EU) and its decisions on financing external support for actions to prevent violent extremism. It examines the situation before and after the revision to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ODA eligibility rules, and concludes with specific recommendations for the EU to consider, including: devoting more resources to activities aimed at preventing violent extremism (PVE) across a wider array of EU Instruments (geographic and thematic); and urging the EU and its member states to press the OECD to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on how PVE funds are spent when recorded as ODA.

Blue Sky III: Taking UN Counterterrorism Efforts in The Next Decade From Plans to Action

By Alistair Millar and Naureen Chowdhury Fink

Report — September 2016

The Global Center has produced this independent report to take stock of a decade of multilateral activities implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (Strategy), including past biennial reviews, and develop a set of findings and recommendations to support implementation efforts in the coming decade.

Strengthening the Case: Good Criminal Justice Practices to Counter Terrorism

By Matthew Schwartz, Alistair Millar, Eelco Kessels, Melissa Lefas, Junko Nozawa, and Laura Rector

Report — September 2015

This report highlights trends, challenges, and opportunities for implementing the good practices of the Rabat Memorandum and for leveraging these practices to more effectively counter terrorism while promoting and protecting human rights.

Countering Violent Extremism and Promoting Community Resilience in the Greater Horn of Africa

By Eelco Kessels, Priscilla Nzabanita, Alistair Millar, Liat Shetret, Naureen Chowdhury Fink, and Jason Ipe

Report — May 2015

This report outlines ideas for strategies, programs, and initiatives that can be implemented to prevent and counter violent extremism in the Greater Horn of Africa and increase human security and community resilience. Suggestions include training officials and frontline practitioners to enhance their engagement with communities, improving service delivery and reform of the security and criminal justice sectors, introducing disengagement and reintegration programs, promoting subregional cooperation and information sharing, fostering youth leadership, engaging the media and the private sector, and strengthening the capacity of and engagement with civil society actors.

Needs-based Curricula and Programme Development for the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law

By Alistair Millar and Matthew Schwartz

Report — April 2014

This report outlines a series of recommendations for the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) in developing a curricula and program agenda based on the diverse needs of a multi-national and cross-regional constituency of partner countries. Once established, the IIJ will serve as a training center dedicated to strengthening criminal justice institutions, promoting regional legal cooperation, and fostering criminal justice practitioner networks based on a respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Blue Sky II: Progress and Opportunities in Implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

By Naureen Chowdhury Fink, Peter Romaniuk, Alistair Millar, and Jason Ipe

Report — April 2014

The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted by the General Assembly in 2006, presented a watershed moment for the institution that has historically faced fundamental divisions on counterterrorism issues, which has limited cooperation among member states. This report reflects on the United Nations’ performance on counterterrorism issues since the adoption of the Strategy in 2006, and in particular, developments since the 2012 review. It offers a strategic analysis of the changing counterterrorism landscape since the last review. The report concludes with a set of practical recommendations for the UN and member states to strengthen UN counterterrorism capacities, particularly through internal coordination, responsive programming, improved reporting, and strategic communication.

Reshaping United Nations Counterterrorism Efforts: Blue-Sky Thinking for Global Counterterrorism Cooperation 10 Years After 9/11

By James Cockayne, Alistair Millar, David Cortright, and Peter Romaniuk

Report — March 2012

This report provides concrete suggestions for strengthening international counterterrorism efforts over the next decade, including three specific, costed options for a single UN counterterrorism coordinator. The report details 22 recommendations aimed at helping the United Nations to better exploit its comparative advantages in countering terrorism and to enhance the productivity of its partnerships with other counterterrorism actors, including states, regional intergovernmental bodies, nongovernment experts, and civil society.

Friend not Foe: Opening Spaces for Civil Society Engagement to Prevent Violent Extremism (2d ed.)

By David Cortright, with Alistair Millar, Linda Gerber-Stellingwerf, George A. Lopez, Eliot Fackler, and Joshua Weaver

Report — May 2011

Restrictive counterterrorism measures are having unintended negative effects on human rights defenders and civil society activists in many countries. This study traces the many harmful impacts of overly broad measures adopted in the name of fighting terrorism—from armed repression to restrictions on the ability of civil society groups to operate and receive funding.

Integrating UN Sanctions for Peace and Security

By David Cortright, George A. Lopez, and Linda Gerber-Stellingwerf, with Eliot Fackler and Joshua Weaver

Report — October 2010

This study examines the challenges of integrating Security Council sanctions with other forms of international policymaking. It proposes options for the UN Secretary-General, the Security Council, and the Secretariat to enhance implementation and coordination capabilities. It proposes the creation of a UN Sanctions Implementation Task Force, greater staff support for sanctions coordination within the Secretariat, improved guidance for cooperation between panels of experts and UN missions in the field, and greater information sharing and dissemination across all UN agencies and offices.

An Opportunity for Renewal: Revitalizing the United Nations Counterterrorism Program

By James Cockayne, Alistair Millar, and Jason Ipe

Report — September 2010

To help inform the UN General Assembly’s review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the Security Council’s comprehensive consideration of the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), this report details an independent strategic assessment of UN counterterrorism efforts over the two years since the Strategy and CTED were last reviewed.