September 9, 2011Global Counterterrorism Forum
As stated in President Obama’s National Counterterrorism Strategy, the U.S. is committed to strengthening the global counterterrorism (CT) architecture in a manner that complements and reinforces the CT work of existing multilateral bodies. The Administration’s signature initiative in this area is the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which is intended to ensure the necessary international architecture is in place to address 21st century challenges.
The U.S. proposed the creation of the GCTF to address the evolving terrorist threat in a way that would bring enduring benefits by helping frontline countries and affected regions acquire the means to deal with threats they face. It is based on a recognition that the U.S. alone cannot eliminate every terrorist or terrorist organization. Rather, the international community must come together to assist countries as they work to confront the terrorist threat.
What: The GCTF will be a new, informal, multilateral CT body that will focus on identifying critical civilian CT needs, mobilizing the necessary expertise and resources to address these issues and build global political will. It will provide a needed venue for national CT officials and practitioners to meet with their counterparts from key countries in different regions to share CT experiences, expertise, strategies, capacity needs, and capacity-building programs. The GCTF will prioritize civilian capacity building in areas such as rule of law, border management, and countering violent extremism.
The GCTF will also provide a unique platform for senior CT policymakers and experts from key partners in different regions to share insights and best practices. In short, the GCTF will take a more strategic approach to civilian CT efforts and help us increase the number of countries capable – both technically and in terms of political will – of dealing with the terrorist challenge.
Who: The 30 founding members of the GCTF are: Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Structure: The GCTF will consist of a strategic-level Coordinating Committee, co-chaired initially by the United States and Turkey; five thematic and regional expert-driven working groups; and a small administrative unit that the U.S. will host for the first few years.
Continues
Initial working groups will focus on: 1) the criminal justice sector and rule of law; 2) countering violent extremism; 3) capacity building in the Sahel; 4) capacity building in The Horn Region; and 5) capacity building in Southeast Asia. In addition, relevant non-GCTF member states and other relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations, regional and sub-regional bodies, and non-government experts, will be invited to participate in the appropriate working group(s) and/or working group activities.
Relationship with the United Nations: The United Nations will be a close partner of and participant in the GCTF and its activities. The GCTF will serve as a mechanism for furthering the implementation of the universally-agreed UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and, more broadly, complement and reinforce existing multilateral CT efforts, starting with those of the United Nations.
Official Launch: The GCTF will be launched officially in New York at the level of foreign ministers on the margins of the upcoming UN General Assembly meetings in September 2011. In addition to adopting the GCTF’s founding documents (a political declaration and terms of reference) and short speeches from the Co-Chairs (the U.S. and Turkey) and other GCTF members, the event will include the announcement of two concrete deliverables, thus highlighting the GCTF’s practical, action-oriented focus from the outset. In addition, the Global Survivors Network will premiere a short film of interviews of survivors of terrorism from around the globe. The film will depict the different ways in which survivors are now helping to prevent terrorism by speaking out against violent extremist ideologies.
Deliverables: 1) the adoption of the Cairo Declaration on Counterterrorism and the Rule of Law and the announcement of a major rule of law capacity-building program focused, in particular, on countries transitioning away from emergency law; and 2) the announcement of the intention to create the first-ever multilateral training and research center focused on countering violent extremism, which would be based in the Gulf region.
U.S., Nigeria, 28 Others to Combat Global Terrorism
New York — Nigeria is among 30 countries that would join hands in a new initiative to combat global terrorism, the United States government has said.
The new initiative, Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which is a proposal of the US government, will be launched officially in New York on the margins of this month's United Nations General Assembly meetings.
It has 30 founding members which include: Nigeria, Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and US.
The State Department said on Friday that the forum was aimed at addressing the evolving terrorist threat in a way that would bring enduring benefits, by helping frontline countries and affected regions acquire the means to deal with threats they face.
Noting that the forum was intended to ensure necessary international architecture was in place to address 21st century challenges, it described it as, "a new, informal, multilateral CT (counterterrorism) body that will focus on identifying critical civilian CT needs, mobilizing the necessary expertise and resources to address these issues and build global political will."
In addition to this, it said the GCTF would "provide a needed venue for national CT officials and practitioners to meet with their counterparts from key countries in different regions to share CT experiences, expertise, strategies, capacity needs, and capacity-building programmes."
Other areas of focus of the new initiative include prioritizing civilian capacity building in areas such as rule of law, border management, and countering violent extremism, and providing a unique platform for senior CT policymakers and experts from key partners in different regions to share insights and best practices.
"In short, the GCTF will take a more strategic approach to civilian CT efforts and help us increase the number of countries capable - both technically and in terms of political will - of dealing with the terrorist challenge," the State Department said.
According to the US government, the forum would consist of a strategic-level Coordinating Committee and would be co-chaired initially by US and Turkey. It will also have five thematic and regional expert-driven working groups and a small administrative unit to be hosted by US for the first few years.
US said the initial working groups would focus on the criminal justice sector and rule of law, countering violent extremism, capacity building in the Sahel, capacity building in the Horn Region, and capacity building in Southeast Asia.
It, however, said that relevant non-GCTF member states and other relevant stakeholders, like UN, regional and sub-regional bodies, and non-government experts, would be invited to participate in the appropriate working group and their activities.
Apart from the UN being a close partner and participant in the forum and its activities, the State Department said, "GCTF will serve as a mechanism for furthering the implementation of the universally-agreed UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and, more broadly, complement and reinforce existing multilateral CT efforts, starting with those of the United Nations."
Noting that the forum is part of President Barack Obama's National Counterterrorism Strategy, the State Department said the initiative was based on a recognition that US alone cannot eliminate every terrorist or terrorist organization, and that the international community must come together to assist countries as they work to confront terrorist threat
Link
___
India and Pakistan are among 28 founding members of the Global Counterterrorism Forum,
A signature initiative of the Obama administration to create a collective international effort to fight the war against terrorism.
It will be launched officially in New York at the level of foreign ministers on the margins of the General Assembly meetings of United Nations later this month, the State Department announced today.
"The GCTF will be a new, informal, multilateral CT (counter-terrorism) body that will focus on identifying critical civilian CT needs, mobilising the necessary expertise and resources to address these issues and build global political will," US State Department said in a fact sheet.
"It will provide a needed venue for national CT officials and practitioners to meet with their counterparts from key countries in different regions to share CT experiences, expertise, strategies, capacity needs, and capacity-building programmes.
"The GCTF will prioritise civilian capacity building in areas such as rule of law, border management, and countering violent extremism," it said.
The GCTF will consist of a strategic-level coordinating committee, co-chaired initially by the United States and Turkey; five thematic and regional expert-driven working groups; and a small administrative unit that the US will host for the first few years.
link
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Clinton on Friday announced the creation of a new Global Counterterrorism Forum, designed to enhance international counterterrorism cooperation by bringing together policymakers and experts in the field on a regular basis.
The new forum, to be formally launched later this month at the United Nations, will initially be co-chaired by the US and Turkey and include 30 other countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria.
Noting that she is also upgrading the State Department’s counterterrorism office to a full bureau with its own assistant secretary of State, Clinton argued for increased integration of counterterrorism efforts into all aspects of US diplomacy.
“We need to take a smart and strategic approach that recognizes that violent extremism is bound up with nearly all of today’s complex global problems,” she said. But she added, “We should appreciate that while working to resolve conflicts, reduce poverty, and improve governance is a valuable end in itself, it also advances the cause of counterterrorism and our own national security.”
To what degree that perspective is appreciated in the US Congress remains unclear, however. Congress has already sliced about $8 billion off of President Obama’s requested State Department budget for the next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and House Republicans are proposing another $8 billion in cuts from State and foreign-aid funding.
“These cuts could be the most significant we’ve had in two decades, and they could have a devastating impact on the work that we do,” said Thomas Nides, deputy secretary of State for management and resources – the department’s chief operating officer – in a recent Washington speech.
Clinton, with the support of President Obama, has pressed hard for the resources to elevate the US’s diplomatic role and to take back some of the burden of conflict prevention and post-conflict development and reconstruction that in recent years shifted to the Pentagon.
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was an outspoken advocate of boosting the civilian component of America’s international involvement. But after a 10 percent spike in spending on diplomacy and foreign aid in 2010, the number began falling again this year in the search for deficit-reduction cuts.
In her New York remarks, Clinton said the US needed an “all-of-government” approach to battle terrorism that includes strikes on terrorist safe havens but extends to broad efforts to “diminish [a terror organization’s] appeal.”
But she emphasized that to be successful “we need effective international partners,” and that is where she said diplomacy is essential.
Clinton said that perhaps the most effective recent action against Al Qaeda’s ideology “has been the blow delivered by the people of the Middle East and North Africa themselves” – a blow she said disproved Osama bin Laden’s insistence that change can only come through violence.
The US will be doing itself no favors, either in terms of security or prosperity, Clinton said, if it fails to support the region’s aspirations and democratic transition through a full range of “smart” diplomatic efforts.
link
It will be launched officially in New York at the level of foreign ministers on the margins of the General Assembly meetings of United Nations later this month, the State Department announced today.
"The GCTF will be a new, informal, multilateral CT (counter-terrorism) body that will focus on identifying critical civilian CT needs, mobilising the necessary expertise and resources to address these issues and build global political will," US State Department said in a fact sheet.
"It will provide a needed venue for national CT officials and practitioners to meet with their counterparts from key countries in different regions to share CT experiences, expertise, strategies, capacity needs, and capacity-building programmes.
"The GCTF will prioritise civilian capacity building in areas such as rule of law, border management, and countering violent extremism," it said.
The GCTF will consist of a strategic-level coordinating committee, co-chaired initially by the United States and Turkey; five thematic and regional expert-driven working groups; and a small administrative unit that the US will host for the first few years.
link
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Clinton on Friday announced the creation of a new Global Counterterrorism Forum, designed to enhance international counterterrorism cooperation by bringing together policymakers and experts in the field on a regular basis.
The new forum, to be formally launched later this month at the United Nations, will initially be co-chaired by the US and Turkey and include 30 other countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria.
Noting that she is also upgrading the State Department’s counterterrorism office to a full bureau with its own assistant secretary of State, Clinton argued for increased integration of counterterrorism efforts into all aspects of US diplomacy.
“We need to take a smart and strategic approach that recognizes that violent extremism is bound up with nearly all of today’s complex global problems,” she said. But she added, “We should appreciate that while working to resolve conflicts, reduce poverty, and improve governance is a valuable end in itself, it also advances the cause of counterterrorism and our own national security.”
To what degree that perspective is appreciated in the US Congress remains unclear, however. Congress has already sliced about $8 billion off of President Obama’s requested State Department budget for the next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and House Republicans are proposing another $8 billion in cuts from State and foreign-aid funding.
“These cuts could be the most significant we’ve had in two decades, and they could have a devastating impact on the work that we do,” said Thomas Nides, deputy secretary of State for management and resources – the department’s chief operating officer – in a recent Washington speech.
Clinton, with the support of President Obama, has pressed hard for the resources to elevate the US’s diplomatic role and to take back some of the burden of conflict prevention and post-conflict development and reconstruction that in recent years shifted to the Pentagon.
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was an outspoken advocate of boosting the civilian component of America’s international involvement. But after a 10 percent spike in spending on diplomacy and foreign aid in 2010, the number began falling again this year in the search for deficit-reduction cuts.
In her New York remarks, Clinton said the US needed an “all-of-government” approach to battle terrorism that includes strikes on terrorist safe havens but extends to broad efforts to “diminish [a terror organization’s] appeal.”
But she emphasized that to be successful “we need effective international partners,” and that is where she said diplomacy is essential.
Clinton said that perhaps the most effective recent action against Al Qaeda’s ideology “has been the blow delivered by the people of the Middle East and North Africa themselves” – a blow she said disproved Osama bin Laden’s insistence that change can only come through violence.
The US will be doing itself no favors, either in terms of security or prosperity, Clinton said, if it fails to support the region’s aspirations and democratic transition through a full range of “smart” diplomatic efforts.
link
