At the Fifteenth GCTF Coordinating Committee in Malaga in March, 2019, the Netherlands launched a Policy Toolkit with the view of operationalizing the The Hague Good Practices on the Nexus between Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism. The Policy Toolkit is also available in Arabic and French.

Background

As a response to the growing concern of States regarding the nexus between transnational organized crime (TOC) and terrorism, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) has been working in partnership with the Netherlands under the umbrella of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) Nexus between Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism Initiative to support the international community on this matter. This Nexus Policy Toolkit marks the culmination of this process of research and consultation, and was designed to provide local practitioners, policymakers as well as other (governmental) experts a practical tool to formulate responses and to translate the Good Practices into concrete actions to address the challenge of the nexus in various regions.

The Nexus

The nexus between transnational organized crime and terrorism is, by nature, complex and dynamic. Where ties exist between TOC and terrorism, a range of peripheral and facilitating crimes are often also present. These manifest themselves in various ways, and are shown to have distinct characteristics in different regions. Growing numbers of case studies reveal that the Nexus has impacts across the globe. In extreme cases, the Nexus is seen as having a direct negative impact on security, contributing to the erosion of political, economic and social stability and development. Even in regions considered more stable and secure, the relationship between terrorist and criminal activities has been well documented and has acted as an enabler of terrorism. This relationship takes on a variety of manifestations that are displayed in different ways depending on whether the Nexus relates to an organization itself, or a transaction between two independent groups (i.e. a criminal group and a terrorist cell or group). At its most basic level, however, the Nexus pertains to the interaction between the two elements of organized crime and terrorism.