The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS)
Encyclopedia
The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) is an international think tank
that focuses on Afghanistan
and other conflict zones such as Iraq
and Somalia
. ICOS is a project of the Network of European Foundations' 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
and development
issues and states that its overarching objective is .
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.
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 field research in Afghanistan has drawn attention to Afghan knowledge of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,, and the negative views held by Afghan citizens against the foreign forces. Their reports have also drawn some controversy, with NATO spokesmen disputing an ICOS report's findings on the extent of the Taliban 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
and Employment
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
neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, on improving public safety, in cooperation with the local Pacifying Police Unit
.
Global Food Security
Their program on Global Food Security, designed in collaboration with the Sir Ratan Tata Trust
and CINI
, examines the intersection between food security
, development, and state security. Their project currently focuses on India
and Brazil, as well as maintaining a central aggreggation website for information on food security.
Rome Consensus
Their Rome Consensus programme commits 121 National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent 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.
QC is both Founder and President
of ICOS. Norine MacDonald also serves as Lead Field Researcher (conducting most of her work in Afghanistan and Somalia).
Emmanuel Reinert
is Executive Director
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
is the Director of Policy Research for ICOS.
in Afghanistan for pharmaceutical purposes. They argue that its based on the premise that there are two problems that need to be solved:
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
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
Laureate John Charles Polanyi
and Stéphane Dion
, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
, have expressed their support for the poppy for medicines project.
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.
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
that focuses on Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and other conflict zones such as Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. ICOS is a project of the Network of European Foundations' Mercator Fund
The Mercator Fund
The Mercator Fund is a project within the framework of the Network of European Foundations . It is best known for its annual Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy and for its The International Council on Security and Development project which focuses on security and development, public...
. 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
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
and development
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
issues and states that its overarching objective is .
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 InclusionTheir 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 field research in Afghanistan has drawn attention to Afghan knowledge of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,, and the negative views held by Afghan citizens against the foreign forces. Their reports have also drawn some controversy, with NATO spokesmen disputing an ICOS report's findings on the extent of the Taliban presence in Afghanistan. Their findings on the ineffectiveness of Canadian development aid in Kandahar were also disputed by CIDA
Canadian International Development Agency
The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
officials, particularly regarding food aid and hospitals..
Education and Employment
The organisation states that its mandate of initiative on Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and Employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
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
Centre of Excellence on Public Security
The Centre of Excellence on Public Security is a think tank based in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil which studies aspects of public security, advocating multi-dimensional responses to Public Security issues...
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
Participatory democracy
Participatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
. 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
Tijuca 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 squares. According to the 2000 Census, the district has close to 150,000 inhabitants...
neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, on improving public safety, in cooperation with the local Pacifying Police Unit
Pacifying Police Unit
The Pacifying Police Unit , abbreviated UPP, is a law enforcement program in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which aims at reclaiming territories, more commonly favelas, controlled by gangs of drug dealers or private militias...
.
Global Food Security
Their program on Global Food Security, designed in collaboration with the Sir Ratan Tata Trust
Sir Ratan Tata Trust
Sir Ratan Tata Trust came into being in 1919 with a sum capital of Rs 8 million. Established in accordance with the will of Sir Ratan Tata, the Trust is now one of the oldest grant bestowing foundations in India...
and CINI
Cini
Cini can refer to:*CINI, a humanitarian organisation*Cristina Cini, an Italian football assistant referee.*Giovan Battista Cini, an Italian playwright.*Cini Boeri, an Italian designer.*Chini Lake, also called Tasik Cini, a series of lakes in Malaysia....
, examines the intersection between food security
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
, development, and state security. Their project currently focuses on India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Brazil, as well as maintaining a central aggreggation website for information on food security.
Rome Consensus
Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug Policy
The Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug Policy is a framework for dialogue and cooperation that commits 114 National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe to promote and implement humanitarian approaches to drug policy...
Their Rome Consensus programme commits 121 National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent 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 MacDonaldNorine MacDonald
Norine A. MacDonald QC is the President and Founder of The International Council on Security and Development , an international security and development think tank founded in 2002 with offices in Kabul, London, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels and Paris, and field offices in the Afghan cities of Lashkar...
QC is both Founder and President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of ICOS. Norine MacDonald also serves as Lead Field Researcher (conducting most of her work in Afghanistan and Somalia).
Emmanuel Reinert
Emmanuel Reinert
Emmanuel Reinert is the Executive Director of The International Council on Security and Development , an international security and development think tank founded in 2002 with offices in Kabul, London, Ottawa, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels and Paris, and field offices in the Afghan cities of Lashkar Gah...
is Executive Director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
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
Jorrit Kamminga is the Director of Policy Research at The International Council on Security and Development . ICOS is an international security and development think tank founded in 2002 with offices in Kabul, London, Ottawa, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels and Paris, and field offices in the Afghan...
is the Director of Policy Research for ICOS.
Poppy licensing
One of their major policy recommendations is the licensing of opiumOpium licensing
Opium licensing is a policy instrument used to counter illegal drug cultivation and production. It has been used in countries such as Turkey and India to curb illegal opium production...
in Afghanistan for pharmaceutical purposes. They argue that its 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
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
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
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
Laureate John Charles Polanyi
John Charles Polanyi
John Charles Polanyi, PC, CC, FRSC, O.Ont, FRS, born January 23, 1929) is a Canadian chemist who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for his research in chemical kinetics. Polanyi was educated at Manchester University, and did postdoctoral research at the National Research Council in Canada and...
and Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, 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 ArmyAfghan National Army
The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...
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.