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.
On December 12, the SFI brought together current and incoming members of the UN Security Council in New York City for the project's final roundtable. Participants discussed the findings of the SFI report, their perspectives on the current state of the Council's counterterrorism work and the Council's role moving forward, and the feasibility of putting SFI recommendations into practice.
On September 23, SFI released its findings and recommendations following a year-long review on the impact of UN Security Council counterterrorism activities in the last two decades since 9/11.
Stephen Reimer calls for a reset of the collaborative global mission to counter terrorist financing, illustrating the respective capabilities of UN Security Council sanctions bodies and the Financial Action Task Force as a pathway to redefining their relationship.
Photo credit: QuoteInspector, https://www.quoteinspector.com/images/money/money-60154/
On November 17 and 18, SFI I convened a two-day workshop in The Hague, co-hosted by the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, to discuss how to operationalize the recommendations of the SFI report. The event was attended by more than 30 representatives from the United Nations , Member States, national governments, civil society, academia, and international organizations.
On December 5, SFI published a brief by Dr. Adejoké Babington-Ashaye that examines the UN Security Council's (UNSC) failed efforts to help states develop domestic strategies to bring accountability to perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence in the context of terrorism, and proposes recommendations for how this might be improved.
Photo credit: UN Photo/Cristina Silveiro
On October 26, SFI & Resolve Network published a brief by Tanya Mehra & Julie Coleman that examines the UNSC's efforts to criminalize terrorism and related activities, while calling into the question the practical and ethical concerns that come into play, especially when it comes to legislating the "pre-crime" space.
Photo credit: UN Photo/Christopher Herwig
On October 6, the SFI co-published a research brief by Jessica White with the RESOLVE Network which uses its intersection with the Women, Peace, and Security agenda to illustrate the challenges of adaptability for Security Council counterterrorism.
Photo credit: UN Photo/Van Lierop
On October 5, the SFI published a commentary by Cholpon Orozobekova which looks at the experiences of Central Asian states in addressing the outflow and return of foreign terrorist fighters.
Photo credit: UN Photo/AFP