Global Highlights

  • Once again, the PVE HQ team would like to thank the Regional Hubs, Country Offices, and everyone involved in the compilation of this Annual Report 2021. If you haven’t already, read it here.
  • Please also see the highlights from the Annual Report below: 8 Ways that UNDP's Development-based Approaches Address Violent Extremism

 

Prevention of Violent Extremism Annual Report 2021 Flyer

 

Regional Highlights

  • The Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH) partnered with a digital risk consultancy, SecDev, to conduct a regional digital ecosystem analysis that shows an understanding of perceptions, misconceptions, and barriers related to violent extremism in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
    • The BRH also hosted a Knowledge Exchange where the findings from the study were presented -- bringing to light issues around violent extremism in the respective countries. The information from the digital ecosystem mappings has helped to identify relevant themes for the BRH led ExtremeLives campaign focusing on alternative narratives for youth. This scoping study using innovative methods also helps set a direction for further evidence-based country and regional level programming. One interesting common trend and potential area of work identified for the region is to address the issue of digital citizenship in relation to VE online. For more information, please contact [email protected]
       
  • Emanating from the #Journey2Extremism extensive dataset, the Africa Regional PVE Team launched, as part of the podcast series #ExploringExtremism, a 4-episode spin-off zooming in on specific thematic areas of the study. The kick-off ‘Not child’s play: How extremist groups in Africa recruit children’ unpacks findings on children’s vulnerability to recruitment and concrete approaches to build resilience and preventative efforts.

 

  • Paris Peace Forum 2022 was accepted by the selection committee among 60 successful projects. The Forum, held between November 11-12, will enable the leader civil society organization of the Network to meet and discuss with experts, potential partners and decision-makers the initiative to foster civic spaces and partnerships to pioneer cross-border and south-south collaboration in community-based reintegration and PVE.
  • Seed funding of 200,000 USD to the Atlantic Corridor Project. Noting the increasing risk of spillover of violent extremism from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea countries, to complement the 2022-2025 Atlantic Corridor Project Initiative on the Prevention of Violent Extremism (project name yet to be confirmed), the seed funding of 200,000 USD by the Crisis Bureau was approved to lay the foundation and immediately attend the needs by the affected countries. The recipient countries (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo) will receive financial and technical support to scale up key prevention, early warning and response interventions aimed at supporting the establishment of data management system on violent extremism and fragility. A meeting was organised by the Africa Regional PVE team for the COs and the Surge Data Hub colleagues on 27th July to have clarity on the support on data collection/assessment with use of digital tools and exchange the current status of data collection mechanism by each countries.

 

Country Highlights

  • UNDP Iraq has worked closely with the National Committee on the Implementation of the Strategy to Prevent Violent Extremism at the National Security Advisory by organizing a series of workshops for members of the governorate sub-committees across Iraq to support in the development of Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) plans of actions. Following these capacity building workshops, UNDP Iraq has closely followed up with sub-committees located in Diyala, Anbar, and Najaf to review progress, challenges, and discuss next steps for the drafting of plans of actions which have resulted in the finalization of zero drafts. Following the development of the zero drafts, further community consultations are expected to be held. To ensure PVE sub-committees from other governorates are supported in the development of plans of actions, UNDP Iraq will take similar steps to facilitate this process. UNDP Iraq’s Community-based Reintegration and Reconciliation in Iraq project has recently facilitated the organization of two townhall meetings in Muhalabiya, Ninewa and Tuz Khurmato, Salah al Din in a series of four townhalls. The purpose of these townhall meetings is to promote community acceptance for the return and reintegration of persons with perceived ISIL affiliation, reduce stigma surrounding the returnees, and raise awareness on PVE. Townhall meetings are locally led and emphasize the important participation of community members, including community leaders, women, youth, academics, and local authorities.  UNDP Iraq has also worked to improve community resilience to PVE with implementing partner Un Ponte Per in six locations in Ninewa, Salah al Din, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Anbar governorates by building capacity of government officials and community leaders; capacitate counsellors on PVE, empower members of PVE advisory groups to organize dialogue platforms; engage local journalists and activists to promote and raise awareness on PVE; and organize PVE-related interventions and awareness campaigns. A PVE conference was also organized with local authorities, members of the national PVE committee, ministerial representatives, academics, religious leaders, civil society and organizations, and international donors to discuss PVE efforts, challenges, and next steps. 

 

Disclaimer: the updates do not constitute an exhaustive list of monthly activities, rather only a selection of brief highlights that we are able to collect thanks to Country Office support. 

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