Doha: The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in partnership with the State of Qatar, yesterday held a soft virtual launch of the International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism, which will be established as a UNOCT Programme Office in Doha.
The virtual ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani; Undersecretary-General of UNOCT, Vladimir Voronkov; Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ministry of Interior, Major General Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ansari; Administrator, UNDP, Achim Steiner and other officials and experts.
The International Hub will leverage the expertise of local, regional and international counter- terrorism actors, and enhance programming cooperation and coordination with the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities operating in the field for impactful and “all-of-UN” programme delivery on behavioural insights to counter terrorism.
H E the Deputy PM and the Minister of Foreign Affairs said the launch of the International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism in Doha is an important occasion that carries great significance. He said that the Hub is the first-of-its-kind in the region and the world.
In his speech at the inauguration ceremony of the Hub, H E the Deputy Prime Minister said that Qatar’s hosting of the Hub reflects the strong cooperation with the United Nations in achieving its goals. He said that H H the Amir had stressed that sentiment in the UN General Assembly speech.
He said that the commitment of Qatar to hosting the Hub stems from its policy that is based on the Islamic culture of rejecting violence in all forms regardless of the motives and reasons, in addition to its belief that counter-terrorism cannot be done without a comprehensive regional and international framework that deals with the root causes of terrorism.
He said that, as a result, the Hub will focus on children and youth given they serve as the fuel for extremist groups, something that requires focusing attention on that segment of society in all national and international programmes in order to build societies immune to extremist ideas.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the State of Qatar is optimistic about the role of the UNOCT and reiterated Qatar’s commitment to supporting the office, saying that the State of Qatar is proud to be one of its donor states.
He also expressed Qatar’s deep appreciation for the efforts of Under Secretary General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov and his cooperation with the State of Qatar’s permanent envoy and the National Human Rights Committee in order to launch the Hub.
He also praised the efforts of Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations H E Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani and the policy of the State of Qatar under the wise leadership of H H the Amir that looked to enhance ties with the United Nations to serve the goals of the international community.
In his opening remarks, Under-Secretary-General, UNOCT, Vladimir Voronkov, thanked Qatar for strong political and financial support to UNOCT. “Qatar’s support has made possible the establishment of a reliable coordination mechanism for 43 UN and other entities through the UN Global Counter Terrorism Coordination Compact, that includes INTERPOL and the World Customs Organisation.”
“We have also made important progress in establishing the UNOCT Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Doha. Just a few days ago, I signed an Exchange of Letters and a Contribution Agreement with H E Ahmad bin Abdulla bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, the Speaker of the Shura Council, to establish this programme office, which will help legislative bodies develop and adopt counter-terrorism laws in conformity with international obligations.”
“Our wide-ranging partnership with Qatar is already delivering tangible results and lasting impact. I strongly believe that the International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism will take our collaboration to the next level.”
He said that the Doha Hub will focus on cutting-edge, innovative and evidence-based solutions. “Through insights from cognitive psychology, behavioural economics and social sciences, the Hub will study how humans think, decide and take action. It will help us understand why and how people become radicalised to violence and where we can intervene most effectively to halt the radicalisation process.” He said that the Hub is also the first UNOCT Programme Office in the Gulf region.
Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ministry of Interior, Major General Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ansari said that the International Hub is unique at global level as it aims to conduct complete research in the fields of behavioural sciences to better understand the motivations and factors that contribute to radicalisation leading to violent extremism.
“It will provide capacity building assistance to member states, regional organisations and civil society partners with a view to developing and implementing programmes, projects and initiatives that interpret the behavioural insights to counter-terrorism based on scientific foundations. The Hub also aims to enhance communication, outreach and partnership to share knowledge, expertise, experiences and lessons learnt on behaviourally informed counter-terrorism interventions.”
Al Ansari said that the establishment of the Hub in Doha is in line with Qatar’s clear and firm position on terrorism. “Through a political discourse, international efforts and national strategic decisions, the State of Qatar has consistently affirmed that phenomenon of terrorism is not linked to a particular religion or sect but rather a behaviour resulting from various factors hence demands a holistic approach.”
The ‘International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism’ has been established as a UNOCT Programme Office in Doha through an Agreement signed between UNOCT and the State of Qatar on December 15, 2019 to perform three core functions: conduct and advance research in behavioural sciences to better understand the drivers and factors contributing to radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism; provide capacity-building assistance to member states, regional organisations and civil society partners to develop and implement programmes, projects and initiatives that integrate behavioural insights to counter terrorism; and promote communication, outreach and partnerships to share knowledge, expertise, experiences and lessons learned on behaviourally informed counter-terrorism interventions.
On September 8, 2020, UNOCT signed a Contribution Agreement with the Government of the State of Qatar regarding the latter’s financial contribution of $5m to be used over a period of three years for the establishment of the International Hub and the implementation of its programme of work.
