The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) is an international
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
that focuses on
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and other conflict zones such as
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. ICOS is a project of the
Network of European Foundations' The Mercator Fund. The organisation was originally named the Senlis Council but later rebranded as the International Council on Security and Development to better reflect the interest and activities of the organisation.
The organisation works primarily on
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
and
development
Development or developing may refer to:
Arts
*Development hell, when a project is stuck in development
*Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting
*Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped
*Photographi ...
issues and states that its overarching objective is "to promote open debate in order to alleviate current governance, development and economic crises and ensure that future policy-making in these areas is informed, humanitarian and delivers impact."
The organisation currently runs five programmes: ''Human Security and Youth Inclusion'', ''Education and Employment '', ''Public Safety and Citizenship '', ''Global Food Security '' and ''The Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug Policy''.
ICOS programs
;Human Security and Youth Inclusion
Their programme on Human Security and Youth Inclusion focuses on contemporary conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. Their reports have noted the problem of unemployment leading to "Angry Young Men" becoming involved in insurgency actions. Their 2010 field research in Afghanistan showed how Afghans in two crucial southern provinces were almost completely unaware of the 11 September attacks, and the negative views held by Afghan citizens against the foreign forces. Their reports have also drawn some controversy, with
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
spokesmen disputing an ICOS report's findings on the extent of the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
presence in Afghanistan. Their findings on the ineffectiveness of Canadian development aid in Kandahar were also disputed by
CIDA officials, particularly regarding food aid and hospitals.
;Education and Employment
The organisation states that its mandate of initiative on
Education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
and
Employment
Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...
is to "identify ongoing local challenges of a rapidly changing society and provide research, advocacy and innovative policy analysis to encourage pragmatic responses and cost-effective long-term solutions".
;
Public Safety and Citizenship
The organisation's Public Safety and Citizenship initiative "identifies global challenges for public safety in the 21st century, and provides innovative research, advocacy and policy analysis to promote pragmatic responses". It supports states to solve public safety challenges and pave the way for social and economic development, using a "Policy Labs" tool of
participatory decision-making. They conducted a pilot project for the project in Asuncion, Paraguay, with the goal of addressing the problem of crack consumption and trafficking in one neighbourhood. ICOS has also worked in Formiga, a community in the
Tijuca
Tijuca () (meaning marsh or swamp in the Tupi language, from ''ty'' ("water") and ''îuk'' ("rotten")) is a neighbourhood of the Northern Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It comprises the region of Saens Peña and Afonso Pena squar ...
neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, on improving public safety, in cooperation with the local
Pacifying Police Unit
The Pacifying Police Unit ( pt, Unidade de Polícia Pacificadora, also translated as Police Pacification Unit), abbreviated UPP, is a law enforcement and social services program pioneered in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which aims to recl ...
.
;Global Food Security
Their program on Global Food Security, designed in collaboration with the
Sir Ratan Tata Trust
Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) came into being in 1919 with a sum of Indian currency 8 million. It is under the ownership of Ratan Tata. Established in accordance with the will of Sir Ratanji Tata, the Trust is now one of the oldest grant bestowing ...
and
CINI, examines the intersection between
food security
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...
, development, and state security. Their project currently focuses on
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and Brazil, as well as maintaining a central aggregation website for information on food security.
;
Rome Consensus
Their Rome Consensus programme commits 121 National Societies of
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
and
Red Crescent
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, an ...
from Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe to promote and implement humanitarian approaches to drug use. The declared aims of the Rome Consensus are to bring drugs and drug use to the forefront of social concerns, focusing drug response formulation and implementation on a public health approach. The program is coordinated from London, UK.
Directors and spokesmen
Norine MacDonald QC is both Founder and
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of ICOS. Norine MacDonald also serves as Lead Field Researcher (conducting most of her work in Afghanistan and Somalia).
Emmanuel Reinert is
executive director
Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization.
The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...
and works generally out of the Rio de Janeiro office. His work has led to international campaigns focusing on counter-narcotics and security issues.
Jorrit Kamminga Jorrit Kamminga (born 1976) is Director of RAIN+ Ethics, a division of thRAIN Research Group an international research firm working on the nexus between AI and Defense.
He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the Faculty of Constitutional ...
is the Director of Policy Research for ICOS.
Poppy licensing
One of their major policy recommendations is the
licensing of opium in Afghanistan for pharmaceutical purposes. They argue that it is based on the premise that there are two problems that need to be solved:
#Afghanistan's reliance on opium;
#A lack of opiate-based medicines available for pharmaceutical purposes
They contend that this would be a short-to-medium term solution to address the opium crisis that is currently occurring in Afghanistan, since alternative livelihoods programs in the country will take many years to come to fruition and no crop matches the agronomic properties of opium. Meanwhile, according to the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
there are vast unmet needs for morphine in developed countries and this is an even greater problem in developing countries, compounded by the growing rates of HIV/AIDS and cancer around the world.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
Laureate
John Charles Polanyi
John Charles Polanyi ( hu, Polányi János Károly; born 23 January 1929) is a German-born Canadian chemist. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research in chemical kinetics.
Polanyi was born into the prominent Hungari ...
and
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion (born 28 September 1955) is a Canadian diplomat, academic and former politician who has been the Canadian ambassador to France and Monaco since 2022 and special envoy to the European Union since 2017. Dion was Leader of ...
, leader of the
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
, have expressed their support for the poppy for medicines project.
Poppy for Medicine
The organisation, in 2007, launched a "Poppy for Medicine" technical dossier that outlined a project model for licensing poppy cultivation and producing essential medicines within Afghanistan at a local level. They purported that village cultivated poppy would be transformed into poppy-based medicines, such as morphine, in Afghan villages. In their dossier, the organisation laid out an integrated control system that combines the involvement of local structures and state authorities such as the police and the
Afghan National Army
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
* Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
**Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
in order to limit diversion. They argued that by making the medicines locally, value is added to the finished product, the proceeds of which will go towards the economic diversification necessary to break ties with the illegal opium industry and eventually phase out opium production.
Food aid in Afghanistan
The organisation has also carried out some food aid activities in informal
internal refugee
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee.
A ...
camps in the provinces of
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
and
Helmand
Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...
in southern Afghanistan.
[Esprit de Corp]
"From the ground up"
(11 February 2007)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Council on Security And Development
Foreign policy and strategy think tanks
Think tanks established in 2002