Lifecycle Initiative Toolkit

This Addendum updates the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) Good Practices on Women and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) 1 to include a focus on mainstreaming gender, inter alia, based on new insights on gender-specific motivations and pathways of radicalization to violence and CVE responses that aim to counter women and girls’ recruitment specifically, while also addressing men and boys’ recruitment. It provides practical guidance to inform effective CVE policy and programming in light of the evolving roles of women in violent extremist and terrorist organizations, the diverse involvement of women and women’s organizations in preventing and responding to these challenges, and the impact of counterterrorism strategies on women’s human rights and women’s organizations.

Returning and relocating families present complex policy challenges that require comprehensive action addressing the unique circumstances of each returnee. Timely detection and identification of returning FTFs and their family members is complicated by the various travel routes they use, and measures they often take, to avoid detection, which can impede efforts to track and monitor travel. International cooperation and internal integration procedures that could provide early warning of returnees often could be improved.

These non-binding good practices are intended to assist policymakers and practitioners as they develop, implement, and evaluate policies and programs to confront the homegrown terrorism phenomenon. This document is intended to be a complementary piece to The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum on Good Practices for a More Effective Response to the FTF Phenomenon (The Hague-Marrakech Memo) and the Addendum to The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum focusing on returning FTFs, in order to ensure a comprehensive response to the current terrorism landscape.

These non-binding good practices are intended to assist policymakers and practitioners as they develop, implement, and evaluate policies and programs to confront the homegrown terrorism phenomenon. This document is intended to be a complementary piece to The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum on Good Practices for a More Effective Response to the FTF Phenomenon (The Hague-Marrakech Memo) and the Addendum to The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum focusing on returning FTFs, in order to ensure a comprehensive response to the current terrorism landscape.

These non-binding good practices are intended to assist policymakers and practitioners as they develop, implement, and evaluate policies and programs to confront the homegrown terrorism phenomenon. This document is intended to be a complementary piece to The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum on Good Practices for a More Effective Response to the FTF Phenomenon (The Hague-Marrakech Memo) and the Addendum to The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum focusing on returning FTFs, in order to ensure a comprehensive response to the current terrorism landscape.

The Abuja Recommendations are geared towards policy makers, law enforcement officials, and prosecutors with the aim of offering recommendations to investigators and prosecutors of terrorism cases to help build a solid case based on strong and admissible evidence.

These recommended good practices are intended to address violent extremism that is conducive to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They stress the importance of firmly embedding content- and communications based responses within a comprehensive online and offline approach to preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism involving the active participation and collaboration of all States and international and regional organizations while respecting privacy and freedoms of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief.

The Sahel region is noteworthy for its vast, sometimes ill-defined, and lightly patrolled land borders. Terrorists exploit this geographical feature by planning attacks in one State, committing them in another, and returning to the first State or traveling to a third State. Terrorist groups also take advantage of weak border controls to plan and execute the kidnappings for ransom that are now an established and significant source of funding for terrorist training and recruitment. Additionally, criminal actors whose activities may intersect with and enable those of terrorist groups—including weapons, drugs, and human smugglers—exploit weak border controls.

This is UNESCO’s first Teacher’s Guide on the Prevention of Violent Extremism through education. This document has been developed in direct response to the needs of UNESCO’s Member States as expressed in the landmark 197/EX Decision 46 taken by UNESCO’s Executive Board in October 2015, which calls on the Organization to enhance its capacity to provide assistance to countries as they work to strengthen their education sector responses to violent extremism, including through human-rights based Global Citizenship Education (GCED) programmes, keeping in mind national contexts.

Terrorism is a global phenomenon that presents a direct and multi-faceted threat to human security. States have a responsibility to protect populations from terrorism-related threats, which requires actions taken consistent with human rights and the rule of law. Legislatures bear a primary responsibility in the establishment of such a framework. An engaged and independent legislative body is a critical element in developing a legitimate and comprehensive counter terrorism (CT) strategy that ensures an effective response to terrorism including with necessary oversight measures to protect human rights.

Violent extremism is an affront to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. It undermines peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. No country or region is immune from its impacts.

Note: This document aims to provide additional guidance to Members States in their efforts to develop rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for violent extremist offenders and to address violent extremism in prison settings. It summarizes the conclusions/findings of an expert workshop convened by UNCCT, UNICRI and the Government of Turkey in Istanbul, on 19-20 May 2014.

Note: This document will be submitted to the GCTF and to the UN’s Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute to provide additional guidance to GCTF members and other countries who are attempting to incorporate the Rome Memorandum into their own programs. This document summarizes the conclusions/findings of the expert workshop convened by Hedayah and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague (ICCT) in Abu Dhabi, May 8-9, 2013. The list of participants in that session is below. The participants have not, however, endorsed this document.

This action plan enumerates an illustrative list of rule of law-based COP initiatives that ensure a human rights-centered approach for interested GCTF members and partners to consider taking forward to advance the implementation of those good practices.

A strong and independent judiciary that fairly and expeditiously adjudicates terrorism and other national security offenses is critical for public confidence in the legitimacy of judicial institutions, is an effective deterrent to terrorism, and minimizes the risk of violations of fundamental human rights.

Recommendations related to the issue of prison and prisoner management as it relates to preventing and addressing the violent extremist radicalization of prisoners (and even prison staff).

This document offers guidance for national governments interested in developing or refining a national countering violent extremism (CVE) strategy, or CVE components as part of a wider counter-terrorism (CT) strategy or framework. It includes good practices that have emerged from experiences in this field over the past few years and draws on them to inform future efforts. Where a national strategy is not currently attainable, this document outlines initial steps that could be taken to lay the groundwork for future national CVE strategy development, e.g. initial dialogue between governments and communities targeted for radicalization and recruitment. In this context, CVE refers to the wide spectrum of largely preventive actions and interventions that involves identifying the local factors of radicalization and recruitment to violent extremism, and designing programming to prevent and counter these processes. This includes efforts that may be undertaken by governments, international organizations and civil society.

The threat posed by “Foreign Terrorist Fighters” (FTFs) – individuals who travel abroad to a State other than their States of residence or nationality to engage in, undertake, plan, prepare, carry out or otherwise support terrorist activity or to provide or receive training to do so (often labeled as “terrorist training”) – is a major issue for international and national security. Governments continue to grapple with how to address the complex set of challenges posed by this threat. Many countries are concerned that the rising number of people, especially youth, radicalized to violence and traveling to fight or train alongside terrorist groups in conflict and non-conflict areas will become further radicalized and pose a new terrorist threat to their home or third countries, including transit countries.

A strong and independent judiciary that fairly and expeditiously adjudicates terrorism and other national security offenses is critical for public confidence in the legitimacy of judicial institutions, is an effective deterrent to terrorism, and minimizes the risk of violations of fundamental human rights.

Note: This document will be submitted to the GCTF to provide additional guidance to GCTF Members States and other countries in their efforts to incorporate the Rome Memorandum into their own programmes to address violent extremism in prison settings. This document summarizes the conclusions/findings of the expert workshop convened by the Spanish Government and UNICRI in Madrid, on 29-30 October 2013.

The world today is facing an increasingly sophisticated terrorist threat that is transnational, decentralized, and dynamic. Terrorists in one country are now able to inspire, recruit, and radicalize individuals in other countries to commit terrorist acts either where they live, or to travel abroad to become foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). These same FTFs can then travel home or to a third country to commit further acts of terrorism. Meanwhile, domestic terrorists and home-grown violent extremists continue to constitute threats in their own right, with some adopting techniques used by transnational terrorists or even seeking to affiliate with them. While criminal justice and security methods aimed at imprisoning convicted terrorists will continue to feature uppermost in counterterrorism efforts, there is a growing recognition that a broader approach is needed to address these complex challenges of radicalization and recruitment, one involving a wider range of interventions to address these issues. This more expansive approach is one that can be applied across the full life-cycle of radicalization to violence, from preventing susceptible individuals from being attracted to the ideologies promoted by terrorist groups, to intervening with individuals who are on the path to radicalization to violence, to the rehabilitation and reintegration back into society of some of those already radicalized individuals

A terrorist attack is traumatic for a wide range of individuals and institutions, but it most directly affects the victims and their families. How well the victims’ physical and emotional needs are met can have a significant impact on how well the victims are able to cope with the trauma. Prompt and efficient assistance and support to terrorism victims from the moment of the attack through normalization and beyond can have a positive effect on victims’ mental health and ability to cope. Providing for practical needs in a compassionate way is a tangible expression of the care and concern for citizens who are victims of terrorism. Particular attention should be paid to the needs of children.

A guide for those who must develop and execute programs and policies regarding the specific circumstances surrounding children who are in the criminal justice system charged with committing acts of terrorism or violent extremism.

In its efforts to counter violent extremism, the GCTF has highlighted the importance of multi-sectoral approaches that involve government and non-government agencies, the private sector, religious leaders, and civil society. Specifically, the GCTF emphasized the importance of understanding and addressing community needs as a way to tackle violent extremism.  A critical component of this community level engagement is community-oriented policing, which is collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and solves community problems. 

Action plan that enumerates an illustrative list of actionable, rule-of-law based measures and initiatives that States are currently employing that have indicators of being successful in the effort to identify and counter the activities of terrorist recruiters and facilitators.

States to develop counterterrorism strategies that are consistent with the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the criminal justice to develop effective institutions and other measures that allow governments to provide security, justice, liberty, and development opportunities for their citizens.

This good practices document addresses the role of government institutions, agencies, and civil society in countering violent extremism (CVE). It was produced on the basis of responses by Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) members to the questionnaire that was prepared by the Turkish National Police’s International Center for Terrorism and Transnational Crime (UTSAM) in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This document is also informed by the discussions at GCTF CVE Working Group workshops on multisectoral approaches to CVE held in Antalya and Ankara, Turkey, in December 2012 and March 2013. These workshops in Turkey were organized as a foundational part of the GCTF’s CVE Working Group’s work stream focused on institutions. This document is also complementary to the Good Practices on Community Engagement and Community-Oriented Policing as Tools to Counter Violent Extremism. 

This non-binding document aims to provide GCTF members and other interested stakeholders with a non-exhaustive list of practices that reflect the experience of a number of members in countering violent extremism. 

All states are encouraged to consider using these non-binding, good practices while taking their local needs and conditions into consideration, as they look to develop and implement national CVE policies and/or programs, as part of a wider effort to implement Pillar I of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The implementation of these practices should be consistent with applicable international human-rights law and take into account the varied histories, cultures, and legal systems among States. 

This Ankara Memorandum on Good Practices for a Multi-Sectoral Approach to CVE complements the June 2012 Rome Memorandum good practices on prison disengagement and rehabilitation of violent-extremist offenders. It also directly relates to recent GCTF CVE Working Group workshops on the role of community engagement and community-oriented policing in CVE, which were held in Washington, DC in March 2013, and which led to the development of a separate set of good practices. These good practices are intended to complement those contained in the Ankara Memorandum and the work of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and its relevant entities.

A series of expert meetings, workshops, conferences and research hosted by the GCTF, Hedayah and various other partners convened educators, experts, practitioners and policymakers to share experiences and enhance understanding on education and countering violent extremism (CVE). These events also led to the drafting and development of the Abu Dhabi Memorandum for Good Practices on Education and Countering Violent Extremism, which was adopted at the September 2014 GCTF Fifth Ministerial Meeting in New York City. The topic of education and CVE was also a key component of the agenda at the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism in February 2015. A preliminary list of recommended action items was developed as part of the Follow-on Action Agenda coming out of the Summit. In addition, the European Union’s Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), specifically the RAN PREVENT Working Group, has developed a Manifesto titled “Empowering Educators and Schools” aimed at outlining principles for ministries of education investing in CVE efforts within the European context which was endorsed in March 2015 by the Ministers of Education within the European Union. Drawing on these multilateral developments and existing body of knowledge on education and CVE, this non-binding action plan for education and CVE provides an illustrative list for how to advance and implement the good practices already outlined in the Abu Dhabi Memorandum.

Good practices for addressing terrorism must be built on a functional criminal justice system that is capable of handling ordinary criminal offenses while protecting the human rights of the accused.

Successful in-prison rehabilitation does not have a one-size-fits-all approach. It begins with clearly defined objectives and metrics for success and failure.

Family members are usually the first and best equipped to recognize signs of potential radicalization to violence.

GCTF created a new working group focused on the important role of families in preventing and countering violent extremism. The working group underlined the fact that family members are usually the first and best equipped to recognize signs of potential radicalization to violence. Despite this understanding, families are often under-utilized in this area, probably due to the challenging nature of such partnerships between governments and non-governmental actors.  

This non-binding good practices document focuses on the ways in which education can be used as a resource and a tool by policymakers, teachers and educators, community-based and other non-governmental organizations, and families and parents to prevent and counter violent extremism.

Women have a critical role to play in CVE – one that has not always received the attention it deserves. The GCTF seeks to bring greater focus on this issue by developing good practices on how women can be most effectively integrated into CVE efforts, beginning with the initial stages of program design and policy development.

This action plan includes the need to further strengthen efforts to support victims of terrorism in all of its manifestation as well as associations of victims of terrorism.

Commitment to assist and support the victims of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, according to our national laws and international principles.

The growing emphasis on prison-based rehabilitation programs in governments’ efforts to counter violent extremism results from three factors: first, prisons may become ‘safe havens’ for terrorists carrying on their operations, including radicalizing new members; second, some imprisoned extremists will eventually be released and thus must be disengaged; third, prison settings can be a setting where positive change can occur, as violent extremists are cut off from their old networks and influences.

Declaration on Counterterrorism and the Rule of Law calls for members of the Global Counterterrorism Forum to “develop good practices for an effective and rule of law-based criminal justice sector response to terrorism."

A set of non-binding recommendations regarding the range of measures that might be employed at the national or local level as an alternative to pre-trial detention or postconviction incarceration for individuals charged with, or convicted of, terrorism-related offenses.

In implementing effective counterterrorism (CT) strategies, many States have recognized the benefits of a collaborative and cooperative relationship between law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Underscoring the critical role that intelligence and sensitive law enforcement information can play in the prevention of terrorism, Good Practice 6 of the GCTF Rabat Memorandum on Good Practices for Effective Counterterrorism Practice in the Criminal Justice Sector (Rabat Memorandum) encourages States to enact rule of law-based measures to protect the sources and collection methods of such information in terrorism cases. Once developed, these legal safeguards may allow investigators and prosecutors to use intelligence and sensitive law enforcement information as evidence, as appropriate, in a manner that both protects the sources and collection methods and maintains the accused person’s right to fair trial as recognized under national and international law, including human rights law.

Addendum relating to elements of Good Practice of the GCTF’s The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum on Good Practices for a More Effective Response to the FTF Phenomenon and other relevant issues pertaining to RFTFs.

The GCTF’s The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum focuses on the threat of FTFs. States are now increasingly concerned with the potential threat posed by FTFs who return home or travel to a third State. This threat ranges from the involvement in plotting terrorist attacks, to establishing new terrorist cells, or linking up with existing local terrorist networks. RFTFs can also provide operational expertise, raise funds for terrorist activities, be actively involved in recruitment, be vulnerable to (further) radicalization, or be a source of inspiration to others susceptible to terrorist ideologies. In this regard it is important to note that the distinction between “home-grown” and “foreign” terrorist fighters is becoming increasingly blurred. The radicalization life cycle of RFTFs often starts at home. There is also the risk that RFTFs may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Building on the GCTF’s The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum, its Addendum's non-binding recommendations provide additional guidance on how States can address RFTFs.