The Global Fight Against Terrorism: How Relevant is the UN?

IPI and the Century Foundation co-hosted a policy forum to discuss, five years after the attacks on 9/11, The Global Fight Against Terrorism: How Relevant is the UN?

To help frame the discussion, Alistair Millar and Eric Rosand of the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation authored a new report for the Century Foundation, “Allied Against Terrorism: What’s Needed to Strengthen Worldwide Commitment?”

Since September 11, 2001, governments have asked the United Nations to assume a key role in the multilateral counterterrorism effort, with the Security Council and its various counterterrorism-related bodies at the forefront. Improving the UN’s counterterrorism contribution has been a central theme of the debate on reforming the UN to make it more effective in confronting the threats and challenges of our age. The Millar-Rosand book critiques the UN’s counterterrorism program, discusses the institutional and political limitations impeding the UN’s performance in this area, and suggests short and long-term measures to overhaul the multilateral counterterrorism effort, including a dedicated international counterterrorism body–either part of, connected to, or separate from the UN.

We had an exceptional panel to provoke lively discussion around the table including Ellen Margrethe Loj, Denmark’s Permanent Representative and Chair of the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, Prince Zeid al-Hussein, Jordan’s Permanent Representative, an important voice on the UN’s role in suppressing terrorism, and Robert Orr who has played a key role inside the Secretariat in developing the Secretary-General’s counterterrorism strategy and his broader UN reform proposals.