Nearly 100 United Nations diplomats and staff members gathered on November 27 in New York to hear Research Fellow David Cortright explain how the UN can combat terrorism more effectively.

Cortright summarized the latest report of the Sanctions and Security Project, a joint venture of the Kroc Institute and Fourth Freedom Forum. Senior Fellow George A. Lopez, the other principal researcher, was also present at the UN meeting.

" What we conclude is simple, though perhaps not easy: that member nations staffs and their computer networks start communicating better, and that they establish a list of priorities," Lopez said. "At the top of the list should be UN support for countries needing to improve their ability to monitor terrorists within their borders. There was much nodding of heads as David laid out our ideas."

The report, based on a nine-month study, was commissioned by the Japanese government. Its primary recommendations are that the UN’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) find more creative ways to collect, assess, and share information about the capacity of member nations to fight terrorism; and that the CTC facilitate the provision of technical assistance by potential donors in a timely and sustainable manner.
Specific recommendations include prioritizing committee tasks, conducting regional workshops, and developing a more accessible and user-friendly assistance database.

The report was well-received, Cortright agreed. “The response of the UN officials was very encouraging. They pointed to a number of continuing policy challenges that our research project will address in the coming months.”

Besides Cortright and Lopez, co-authors on the report were Alistair Millar, Jason Ipe, Tona Boyd, and Linda Gerber. “Recommendations for Improving the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Assessment and Assistance Coordination Function” is available on the Sanctions project page at the Kroc Institute web site (http://kroc.nd.edu).

 

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Home > Publications > Peace Colloquy > Issue 9, Spring 2006 > Researchers advise UN on counter-terrorism effort