The Concordia Summit’s inaugural counter-extremism conference, held on September 20th in New York City, and facilitated by Synecticsworld, gathered business leaders, heads of state and counter-terrorism experts to find solutions focusing on public-private partnerships to counter extremism.

The keynote speech was delivered by President George W. Bush to a small group of 150 thought leaders of public and private organizations untied against extremism.

Presidents of Georgia, Poland, Columbia and an entire crew of former Bush advisors and aides including Fran Townsend, John Negroponte and many others were speakers and panelists for the event. We were honored to have been a part of planning and execution of this event.

The day culminated with four breakout sessions facilitated by the Synecticsworld team focused on the topics of,

1) eliminating homegrown terror;
2) cutting off terrorist financing;
3) eliminating narcorterrorism; and
4) better communicating the good work that countries do to the world's population.

On October 4th, The Concordia Summit announced the three key findings from the inaugural counter-extremism conference.

1. Institute public-private partnerships to alleviate the social and economic conditions in at-risk countries that give rise to extremist thought and behavior

Support from the private sector is vital in creating alternatives for youths that are at risk of being driven to extremist behavior due to the conditions surrounding them.

Foreign investment and coordination with governments bring critical jobs.

Businesses should work with governments to design a subsidy program, similar to U.S. subsidies for farmers, incentivizing farmers in foreign countries who grow illegal substances to instead turn to crops that benefit the community as well as produce income.

Businesses should establish a meaningful presence in communities to educate and support local leaders in their efforts to transform at-risk areas.

2. Modifications are needed to the Patriot Act and similar programs to improve efficiency and effectiveness
A. Governments should institute a “trusted business” program akin to the global “trusted traveler” program to allow honest and respected businesses to operate without being hindered by cumbersome regulations.

This would result in significant savings in financial and labor resources for governments.

B. Governments should have strengthened capabilities to track, freeze and seize assets of suspected terrorists and drug dealers/distributors.

With improved control over the resources of suspected terrorists, counter-terrorism teams will more effectively hinder their ability to operate.

3. Global brands could play a significant role in improving the image of governments among those that live in “at-risk” communities

Conduct a study on how youths abroad view the United States and other countries through the lens of leading consumer brands, which play a powerful role in the perception of nations.

Numerous educational opportunities exist for global corporations to leverage the power of their brands for the good of communities around the world.

Concordia will hold its next global conference in the fall of 2012. Details will be announced in the coming months.