The Global Security Forum is an annual international gathering hosted by The Soufan Center. For several years it has brought together an international network of senior officials and experts, and consistently included ministers, heads of security agencies, and prominent experts, academics, and journalists, and thousands of attendees. This invitation-only event provides a unique dynamic platform for international stakeholders to convene and address the international community’s leading security challenges.

The 2023 Global Security Forum will revolve around the central theme of Reshaping the Global Order. The conference will focus on international approaches to conflict, crises, and cooperation and include discussions on topics such as the global energy crisis and approaches to strengthening sustainable economies; great power competition, shaped by the war in Ukraine, and the role of the UN Security Council; the evolution of global terrorism and emerging threats; violent far-right extremist networks and financing; and the disinformation-terrorism nexus.

On the margins of the opening of the 77^th UN General Assembly, The Soufan Center organized a Global Security Forum Event, in partnership with the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. The lunchtime event at the Yale Club of New York City focused on Reshaping the Global Order: Conflict, Crises, and Cooperation. More information here.

The 2021 Global Security Forum took place from October 12-14, 2021, in Doha, Qatar and adopted a hybrid approach for virtual participants. As states vie for power and resources in a rapidly evolving geopolitical climate, the 2021 Global Security Forum addressed the theme ‘Cooperation or Competition? Changing Dynamics of Global Security.’ Conversations focused on the imperative of balancing cooperation and competition in ensuring security and addressing critical challenges in governance and development. More information here.

The 2020 ‘Virtual’ Global Security Forum took place from November 16-19, 2020, and addressed the topic ‘A New World (Dis)order? Managing Security Challenges in an Increasingly Complex Landscape.’ The Forum explored, through a series of online fireside chats and panel discussions, the evolution of global security challenges posed by complex geopolitical realities that have been exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, including disinformation, extremism, and governance and legitimacy. More information here.

The 2019 Global Security Forum took place from October 15-16, 2019, in Doha, Qatar. The Forum addressed the topic ‘Security Challenges in the Era of Modern Disinformation’ and explored the challenge posed by the proliferation of modern disinformation and the serious implications the phenomenon has on an increasingly interconnected world. The event underscored how the threat of disinformation is rampant globally and presents a whole-of-society challenge, impacting governments, communities, businesses, brands & media. More information here.

The inaugural 2018 Global Security Forum took place in Doha, Qatar, from 30-31 October 2018, bringing together a consortium of experts, practitioners, and policy-makers to address the global challenge of returning foreign fighters. The Forum addressed the topic ‘Returning Foreign Fighters: Policies and Actions to Address the Threat and Protect Vulnerable Communities’ and served as an opportunity for a multi-disciplinary network to come together to address the foreign fighter phenomenon and its effects on vulnerable communities and global security. The 2018 Forum addressed a range of issues – from understanding the global terrorism landscape to addressing challenges to prosecution to discussing the particular issue of returning women, children, and families. More information here.

Each year, the Global Security Forum is organized by The Soufan Center (TSC) and the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies (QIASS). Based in New York City, The Soufan Center is an independent non-profit center offering research, analysis, and strategic dialogue on global security challenges and foreign policy issues. Based in Doha, the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies (QIASS) is a professional institute serving to raise security standards, knowledge, and cooperation within the Gulf Region and across the globe.

The Global Security Forum works with a diverse range of local and international partners. Partners over the years have included: the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), New America Foundation, Defense One, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Georgetown University in Qatar, Qatar University, the Alliance for Securing Democracy, and Qatar Airways. In 2021, the Global Security Forum welcomed partnerships with the Airey Neave Trust, Defense One, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), New America Foundation, Nordic Safe Cities, The Soufan Group, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and Qatar Airways.