International collaboration
International collaboration is a cornerstone of our counter-terrorist work.
Our three-year counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, deals with the threat from modern international terrorism. It can be summarised as follows:
- terrorist incidents in the UK usually have an international connection
- international terrorist networks threaten the UK’s interests overseas, and British citizens can be and have been killed or injured away from home
- people from this country have taken part in attacks and insurgencies overseas
- extremist narratives draw inspiration from overseas and can drive radicalisation in the UK
- perceptions of UK foreign policy can become a grievance which is exploited by extremist networks
The threat we face crosses borders and is international in scope. We will depend on our allies as they depend on us.
Who do we work with?
We reduce the risk from international terrorism and strengthen the UK’s resilience in several ways:
- we work with the countries that have the greatest impact on the threat to the UK and its interests
- we cooperate with our strategic partners and with multilateral organisations to develop effective policy responses to the threats each country faces
- agencies in the UK collaborate closely with their counterparts in other countries, for example to share intelligence
- we share knowledge and expertise internationally, exporting best practice in counter-terrorism from the UK, and importing best practice from others
Coordinating work overseas
An international perspective is important to whole of our counter-terrorism strategy: Pursue; Prevent; Protect and Prepare, as well as to our communications, science and technology, CBRNE and Olympic security strategy.
The Overseas CONTEST Group (OCG), chaired by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, coordinates the counter-terrorism work of government departments and agencies overseas.
This work is focused on countries that have a direct impact on the threat to the UK and on countries that are vital allies in our counter-terrorism work.
Our network of overseas posts is used as a platform for the cross-government effort. More than 14 departments and agencies, including those traditionally with a domestic focus, contribute to the delivery of
CONTEST overseas.
Explore this section:
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An essential part of our international effort is working with the countries that are the main source of the threat to the UK.
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Read about the five key benefits we aim to achieve with our strategic partners overseas.
