The goal of the UNOCT Behavioural Insights Hub in Doha is to harness the power of behavioural science to effectively prevent and counter terrorism. Grounded in the principles of the United Nations and guided by relevant UN documents, including the UN Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Behavioural Science and the Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda, the Hub aims to drive innovative and evidence-based approaches to address complex security challenges.
The BI Hub, a UNOCT Programme Office in Doha, was established by UNOCT in partnership with the State of Qatar, in 2020. The BI Hub acts as a global platform for creating knowledge around behavioural insights to prevent and counter terrorism, disseminating lessons learned and good practices, and creating a professional network of experts, academics, practitioners, and policymakers.
The Hub provides capacity-building support that meets the needs and priorities of Member States to address evolving terrorist threats. The Hub also provides outreach opportunities, in order to strengthen coordination among various counter-terrorism actors on behaviourally informed interventions. This serves to further mobilise resources, seek synergies for joint programming and strengthen the effective implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
As the lead unit of UNOCT working on the application of behavioural insights to counter-terrorism, the BI Hub plays an important role in carrying forward the integration of research and analysis of individual, contextual and structural factors affecting human motivations, actions, interactions, and responses that give us a better understanding of the threats of terrorism and violent extremism.