UNGA COUNTER-TERRORISM (CT) STRATEGY -

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000289 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER UNGA PREL SUBJECT: UNGA COUNTER-TERRORISM (CT) STRATEGY - RADICALIZATION WORKING GROUP ¶1. Summary. The Working Group on Radicalization, one of eight CT Task Force Working Groups set up to implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/60/288),has started work on an in depth study of radicalization and its relation to terrorist activity. The working group is led by representatives of the Executive office of the UN Secretary General, the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and the Monitoring Team of the 1267 Committee. At a meeting with USUN, the working group Co-ordinator described this effort as well as plans to develop media tools to address the phenomenon of radicalization. These will include video programs for use in areas where radicalization is most prevalent. End Summary. ¶2. (U) At a March 27 meeting, Richard Barrett, a co-ordinator of the UN Counter-Terrorism Task Force Working Group on "Radicalization and extremism that lead to terrorism", described progress and plans for its work. Barrett said that the broad objectives of the Working Group are to identify how states assess the problem of radicalization, what they have done to address it and what further action they plan to take to combat it. By collecting views and experiences of Member States, the Working Group hopes to be able to offer all states a comprehensive summary of possible policy options to prevent acts of terrorism and to enhance national and regional capacity to de-radicalize those who support terrorist groups. ¶3. In a letter dated February 18, (faxed to IO),the Co-ordinators asked states to provide information on projects and programs undertaken to understand and counter the appeal of terrorism and/or on de-radicalization rehabilitation and integration of people who joined terrorist groups. They also asked for evaluations or analyses of these programs. The Working Group has hired a consultant, Dr. Hamed El-Said, a Jordanian professor at a university in the UK to receive and analyze this data. He is working at the UN Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) in Turin. UNICRI will host a working group (April 17-18) for experts and representatives of states with de-radicalization programs (Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt) to share information on the subject. The end product will be a report describing the phenomenon of radicalization and what member states have done to address it. Programs that work well and should be supported will be identified as well as those that have not been effective. ¶4. In addition, the Working Group hopes to produce video programs which will feature "repentant" terrorists and their victims. It is working with Pakistani, Algerian, Indonesian, Saudi and Moroccan officials on this project. The videos will be tailored to the locale where they will be used so that the target audience will identify with the presentation. The Working Group is also considering using "local heroes" for the anti-terrorism campaign. USUN assured Barrett of US interest and support for the Working Group's efforts , particularly this public diplomacy initiative. KHALILZAD