Behavioural insights can help counter terrorism

The virtual event is co-organised by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, through its Programme Office in Doha, ‘International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism’, and the State of Qatar.

A high-level side event on Thursday, which forms part of the Second Counter-Terrorism Week, underlined the importance of adopting innovative methods and digital technologies in fighting terrorism. The virtual conference, co-organised by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through its Programme Office in Doha, ‘International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism’, and the State of Qatar, also discussed the role of behavioural insights in confronting new and evolving threats. Speaking at the event, Major General Abdul Aziz Abdullah al-Ansari, director of the Department of International Co-operation and chairman of Ministry of Interior’s National Counter-Terrorism Committee, said: “We truly believe that countering terrorism is a multifaceted challenge. For counter-terrorism to be successful, we first need to build deep understanding of the factors that contribute to people resorting to violent extremisms and terrorism.” “This is what drives the State of Qatar to believe in behavioural science as a great tool in this regard. We recognise the multidimensional nature of the terrorist threats and the major interventions needed to eliminate it,” he noted.