The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of the UAE, FCC, hosted the Middle East launch of the Global Terrorism Index of the Institute for Economics and Peace, with the key findings presented by the organisation's Director for MENA & Europe, Serge Stroobants.

The index, published for the seventh year in a row, ranks 163 countries across the globe according to the relative impact of terrorism, taking into account the number of terrorist incidents, deaths caused by terror and the total value of property damage. This year’s results saw three Middle East countries Iraq, Syria and Yemen retain their position in the top 10.

Stroobants went on to present the findings of the index on the broader, global picture, which saw deaths from terrorism fall 15 percent compared to 2018, noting that 98 countries improved their ranking, compared to 40, whose rank deteriorated. This year’s report also saw the Taliban overtake Daesh as the world’s deadliest terror group, accounting for 38 percent of total global deaths, making Afghanistan the country most affected by terrorism.

He went on to outline longer-term trends in global terrorism, with deaths caused by terror down 52 percent compared to the high point of 2014, which saw Daesh and Boko Haram at their peak. Contrasted to this, however, has been the 320 percent increase in far-right terrorist incidents in the West, with political ideology being the driving force behind an increased proportion of terror motivation.

The presentation was the latest in a series of events held by the FCC and was attended by international and domestic journalists, academics, diplomats and government officials.

The FCC was launched earlier this year and functions as a social centre and media hub for UAE journalists. The club aims to create an atmosphere conducive to intellectual debate, cultural exchange and become an important resource for journalists.