Mike Smith
Mike Smith was until July 2013, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, a position he held for more than 5 years. Prior to that he was Australia’s Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism. From 2002 to 2006, Mike Smith was Australia’s Permanent Representative to the UN and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Amongst other responsibilities over this period, in 2004 he was elected Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, one of the most demanding chairing positions in the multilateral system. For most of the period 1998 to 2002, Mike Smith was Chief of Staff to the Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer. Earlier he served as Australia’s Ambassador to Algeria and Tunisia, (1989 – 1991) and to Egypt, Sudan and Algeria (1995 – 1998).
There has been significant commentary on violent extremists’ intent to exploit this rare moment of uncertainty and instability caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries such as Mali and Niger and public demonstrations. The global pandemic, recent protests, and government response to these demonstrations heighten the risk for violent radicalisation that affects the […]
‘IS told us this…if you leave, either we or the landmines will kill you’ Kamal, a former farmer from Daquq, Iraq The territorial defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) offers hope for Iraq and Syria. And yet, many of the factors that contributed to this terrorist organisation’s escalation remain, worsened by ongoing devastation and destruction. […]
On July 16, the UK’s Court of Appeal determined that Shamima Begum, currently at an IDP camp in northeast Syria, has the right to return to the UK to challenge the stripping of her British nationality. Born in the UK to parents of Bangladeshi origin, Begum had her UK citizenship – the only one she […]