The UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (PVE) calls for a comprehensive approach encompassing essential security-based counter-terrorism measures and systematic preventive steps to directly address the underlying conditions that drive individuals to radicalize and join violent extremist groups.
UNODC is delivering technical assistance to Member States in South-East Asia to support this initiative to develop a network of PVE practitioners from the region.
In this context, on 2 September 2021, UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch, together with the National Counter-Terrorism Agency of Indonesia (“Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme”, BNPT), organized a consultation meeting to present the draft Roadmap on the Development of the Preparatory Working Group of PVE Practitioners of South-East Asia, with more than 80 PVE practitioners from the region. The Working Group is intended to serve as a platform that will facilitate regional cooperation and share knowledge and good practices, and ensure continuity of operational activities during challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through a bottom-up approach, front-line practitioners will learn from one another by being placed at the forefront of the platform in the preparatory phase. The platform will allow easy access to peers’ success stories and promote multi-agency and multidisciplinary approaches to PVE and active engagement of all relevant stakeholders, including state institutions, civil society and local communities. The ultimate goal of the preparatory phase is to lay the foundation for the development of a sustainable regional PVE network in South-East Asia.
This initiative is funded by the Government of Japan.