UNODC E-Learning Course on Prevention of Violent Extremism through Sports Now Available in Uzbek!

UNODC continues to work with, and for, young people to foster safe and healthy communities around the world. In Central Asia, UNODC is currently making various new tools available in local languages for this purpose.

Last week UNODC facilitated a workshop in Tashkent on preventing violent extremism (PVE) among youth through sports to launch the Uzbek version of a new electronic training course on this topic.

“Sport is a meaningful tool for the prevention of both crime and violent extremism”, says Mr. Koen Marquering, UNODC Criminal Justice Programme Coordinator in Central Asia. “In the context of PVE, sport can serve as an effective platform to address root causes of violent extremism by creating conditions for learning, social participation and the meaningful and positive engagement of youth within communities”.

At the workshop, representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the General Prosecutor’s Office (GPO), the National Guard, the Youth Affairs Agency and the Ministry of Public Education discussed key concepts, trends and policies for the prevention of violent extremism. Staff of key training institutes, such as the Police Academy and the GPO Academy, also participated in the event.

“In Uzbekistan, work to improve the legal, methodological and practical base for PVE is underway. The General Prosecutor's Office is one of the coordinating bodies in this area", emphasized Ms. Laylo Fayzimurodova, Senior Prosecutor of the GPO’s Department for Supervision of the Execution of Juvenile Legislation.

With the e-learning course comes a technical guide on how sport and sport-based programs can be effectively used to prevent violent extremism and form part of comprehensive responses and interventions that aim to engage young people.

A practical guide addressed to coaches and practitioners who are working directly with youth is also available. This guide contains step-by-step activities, which practitioners can apply in their work with young people.

In an interactive way, the e-course provides guidance on the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sport-based interventions to prevent violent extremism and disrupt radicalization processes. During the workshop, participants tried the new Uzbek version of the e-course and obtained certificates upon successful completion.

The initiative builds on the success of UNODC’s “Line up, Live Up” program, which promotes youth crime prevention through sports. In Uzbekistan, UNODC has partnered with the Ministry of Public Education to pilot this program in Tashkent and various regions of the country reaching over 1500 young people aged 13-18.

Mr. Akbar Tagaev, Head of the Department of Spiritual and Moral Education of Youth at the Ministry of Public Education, noted that these sports programs give excellent results. “Young people learn to work in a team, develop life skills, support each other and develop friendships based on mutual respect. The training courses also improve the qualifications of teachers through new and interactive, but scientific and internationally tested methods".

The workshop was conducted against the backdrop of a recently adopted National Strategy of Uzbekistan on Counteracting Extremism and Terrorism for 2021-2026 and a roadmap for its implementation.

Mr. Nosirzhon Askarov, Head of the GPO Academy’s Center for Systematic Analysis of the Causes of Crime added: “It is impossible to protect young people from being drawn into violent extremism by prohibitive measures alone. An integrated approach is needed in various fields to cover legislation, social and economic aspects, and the family environment among others. Through such events, UNODC supports us to implement our new national strategy and strengthen interdepartmental cooperation at national and community levels."

In addition to Russian, these new tools are now available not only in Uzbek, but also in Kyrgyz and Tajik languages.

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For more information, please contact Vasilina Brazhko

UNODC ROCA Communication and PR Specialist

Cellphone and WhatsApp: +996775987817

e-mail: vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org