The annual Global Terrorism Index, now in its eighth year, is developed by IEP and provides the most comprehensive resource on global terrorism trends and patterns over the last 18 years.

Since the declaration of Covid-19 as a global pandemic by the WHO in March, preliminary data suggests a decline in both incidents and deaths from terrorism across the globe. However, the pandemic is likely to present new and distinct counter-terrorism challenges.

Although Islamic extremism remains a high threat, right-wing extremism has also become a serious rising global threat. Covid-19 has been a factor in this rise as it has allowed extreme right-wing ideologies to flourish expansively through the internet. The pandemic is equally offering opportunity for political exploitation of legitimate government measures to deal with the pandemic, such as enforced quarantines, self-isolation, and border closures. Government Covid-19 responses have provided opportunities to propagate anti-government sentiment and conspiracy theories by groups that promote ethnic segregation and extreme immigration restrictions.

The event includes an address from the Hon Peter Dutton MP, Minister for Home Affairs.

Leanne Close, head of ASPI's Counter-Terrorism Program, is then joined by Steve Killelea, Chairman and Founder, Institute for Economics and Peace, Commander Sandra Booth from the AFP, Peta Lowe, Principal Consultant at Phronesis Consulting and Dr Julian Droogan from Macquarie University, to discuss the key findings from the report and some of the concerning trends in terrorism across the globe in 2020.