Warpod

In this episode we explore how the United Nations (UN) counter-terrorism architecture has expanded – and what it means for peace, human rights and multilateral action. 
Over the past two decades, counter-terrorism has become one of the UN’s fastest-growing areas of work. From a small footprint with very limited capacity, to a dedicated UN Office of Counterterrorism with 200 staff, the counterterrorism agenda at the UN has seen dramatic growth. Yet despite UN Member State consensus on this agenda, many stakeholders have expressed concern that these developments run contrary to the founding ideals of the UN system. Given the clear harms that abusive counterterrorism measures have produced – for human rights, fundamental freedoms, civic space, peacebuilding and humanitarian action – is it time for the UN system to rethink its approach? As states prepare for major UN reforms and the 20-year review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the decisions UN Member States take in 2026 will likely shape the multilateral system for years to come. 
Ambika Satkunanathan and Ali Altiok join Jordan Street and Charlie Linney to discuss why multilateral counter-terrorism policy matters, why concerns about transparency and accountability are increasing, and what these shifts mean for civil society, local peace efforts and people living in conflict-affected contexts. They also explore how coalitions across peacebuilding, rights and security actors can work together to defend principled, prevention-focused approaches. 
This conversation offers clear insights into the big questions facing the UN counterterrorism system – and why a more balanced, rights-affirming direction is essential for the UN’s credibility with people around the world.

In July 2025, the UK government released three major policy reviews that will shape its approach to security and defence for years to come: the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), the National Security Strategy (NSS), and the Comprehensive Spending Review. Together, these documents set the tone for the UK’s defence and foreign policy — but how well do they respond to the threats and challenges that people in the UK and beyond are actually facing? 
In this episode of Warpod, Saferworld’s Charlie Linney and Lewis Brooks are joined by Eva Tabbasam, Director of Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), and Richard Reeve, Coordinator of the Rethinking Security network, to explore the politics, assumptions and gaps in the government’s vision. 
They highlight the risks of preparing society for conflict rather than building peace, and argue for a more sustainable, rights-based, cooperative approach that puts people’s real needs at the centre of national and global policy.

Training and equipping police, military, and border forces is a common part of international security policy. But how can this kind of support affect communities in conflict-affected countries? 
In this episode, we speak to Hamsatu Allamin, a peacebuilder from northeast Nigeria, and Major George Ashton of the British Army’s Royal Military Police, about the practice known as security force assistance (SFA). We explore the risks of SFA when it’s not carefully designed – and how this support might be used in ways that improve relationships between security actors and civilians.

The tenth anniversary of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) coming into force provides a unique opportunity for reflection on the impact and challenges of the Treaty to date. 

We took some time to talk with Roy Isbister and Elizabeth Kirkham from Saferworld’s Arms Unit and to reflect on their experience of working on the global treaty to regulate the international arms trade. The discussion explores Saferworld’s involvement in bringing the Treaty into existence, the main successes and challenges of the ATT since its adoption, and the progress they hope to see from states in the future. 

The next decade will bring new challenges for arms control. Saferworld, alongside civil society partners, will continue working to ensure the ATT does ultimately fulfil the promise of its object and purpose. Strategic funding partnerships are crucial for innovation, rapid response to crises, and for building the networks that create high-impact initiatives like the ATT.

With a new Labour government in power after the UK’s 2024 General Election, what does the future hold for the UK’s Integrated Security Fund (UK ISF)?  

The UK ISF is a cross-government fund designed to address UK national security challenges, with a budget of approx. £1 billion. The idea of such a fund began in 2001 when a previous Labour government introduced the Conflict Pool, which evolved in 2015 to become the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF), and evolved again in 2023 to become the UK Integrated Security Fund. It supports a wide range of projects around the world, from training overseas security forces to high-level dialogue between geopolitical rivals; and from supporting women’s rights organisations to tackle gender-based violence, to involvement in de-mining initiatives.  

In this episode, we speak to Dr Gaurav Saini, co-founder of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research (CSDR), a think tank based in New Delhi, India. We also hear from Lewis Brooks, Saferworld’s UK Policy and Advocacy Advisor. We discuss their respective experiences of engaging with the UK ISF (and its previous iterations), including any gaps or challenges that stem from the national security approach it takes, and hear what they hope to see from the UK ISF moving forwards under a new government. 

As Lewis Brooks says in the episode, “If you want to understand UK security and conflict policy around the world, then you need to understand this fund”. 

Please note – the views, perspectives and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Saferworld as an organisation.