The Securing the Future Initiative (SFI) is a joint project of the Fourth Freedom Forum and The Soufan Center. Launched in September 2021, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the SFI is conducting the first-ever independent review and assessment of the United Nations Security Council’s counterterrorism activities.

SFI and GCSP Geneva Workshop

On April 6 and 7, 2022, the Securing the Future Initiative (SFI) was pleased to host, in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), a workshop on “The UN Security Council: Assessing Twenty Years of Counterterrorism Multistakeholder Perspectives from ‘International Geneva’”. The discussion convened a range of stakeholders from across “International Geneva”, including representatives from member states, the United Nations (UN), researchers, and civil society.

The purpose was to exchange views on the impact of the UN Security Council’s counterterrorism activities over the past 20 years, with a particular focus on how such activities have affected development, humanitarian action, and human rights, and elicit recommendations for the future direction of UN Security Council’s counterterrorism efforts.

These roundtables will inform the SFI’s final report, which will be presented during the opening of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York in September.

SFI and RUSI London Workshop

Securing the Future Initiative London Workshop – The UN Security Council: Reflecting on Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Right-Sizing for the Future

On March 23, 2022, the Securing the Future Initiative (SFI) was pleased to host, in cooperation with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a workshop on “The UN Security Council: Reflecting on Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Right-Sizing for the Future” in London. The discussion convened officials from the UK Government and UK-based researchers and NGOs to exchange views on the impact of the UN Security Council’s counterterrorism activities over the past 20 years, with a particular view on impacts in and on the United Kingdom.

This interactive discussion focused on ensuring that the Council’s approach to addressing the evolving terrorist threats is fit for purpose more than two decades since the 11 September 2001 attacks that catalyzed the growth in this field, and in light of an evolving terrorist threat landscape and changed multilateral counterterrorism architecture.

Workshop participants noted the complications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including on Security Council dynamics, and the reemergence of “great-power” rivalries, stimulating concerns about how these will impact the Council’s counterterrorism efforts as well as international peace and security issues more broadly going forward. Throughout the day, participants offered recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of the Council’s approach to addressing terrorist threats. These recommendations will be considered during SFI activities in 2022 and inform the project’s findings and conclusions, which will be presented in September this years during the opening of the 77th UNGA.

SFI Brussels Workshop

Securing the Future Initiative Brussels Workshop – The UN Security Council: Assessing Twenty Years of Counterterrorism Multi Stakeholder Perspectives from the European Union

On March 21, 2022, the Securing the Future Initiative (SFI) hosted a workshop on “The UN Security Council: Assessing Twenty Years of Counterterrorism Multi Stakeholder Perspectives from the European Union”. The discussion convened key stakeholders, including representatives from the EU and its member states, the United Nations (UN), and African Union (AU), as well as researchers and civil society actors. The discussion was led by Naureen Chowdhury Fink, Executive Director of The Soufan Center; Alistair Millar, President of the Fourth Freedom Forum; Eric Rosand, Visiting Senior Fellow of The Soufan Center.

The interactive discussion explored the successes and shortcomings of the Security Council’s counterterrorism work, highlighting the need for “right-sizing” the Council’s counterterrorism activities, evaluating the unintended consequences of counterterrorism frameworks and measures, and opportunities for change. The workshop was one of a series of SFI-hosted discussions aimed at capturing a diversity of perspectives on the past and future role of the UNSC on counterterrorism. These roundtables will inform the SFI’s final report, which will be presented during the opening of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York in September.