The security situation in West Africa continues to deteriorate as terrorism is spreading across the region. The Institute for Economics and Peace, in its Global Terrorism Index 2022 report, identified the Sahel as home to the world’s fastest growing and most-deadly terrorist groups. In addition to expanding the geographic scope of their activities, groups are also trying to increase their ranks, mainly targeting youth for recruitment. While being disproportionally affected by the violence, young people also play a critical role in preventing and countering violent extremism conducive to terrorism.
In this context, the West Africa Working Group of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) decided to hold a regional workshop on the role of youth in preventing and countering violent extremism in West Africa. This activity, which took place from 15-17 November 2022 in Cotonou, Benin, was organized by UNODC, and co-chaired by Germany and Algeria.
As Dr. Amado Philip de Andrés, UNODC Regional Representative for West and Central Africa, pointed out, "Giving West African youth a voice and actively involving them in the development and implementation of solutions is crucial to ensure their effectiveness."
This meeting was part of the support program of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) Working Group for West Africa, funded by Germany. This initiative aims to support West African states in their efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism and terrorism and to facilitate the sharing of experiences at the national and regional levels and the implementation of national action plans in this area.
This high-level conference brought together a hundred participants, including 25 women. Its objective was to develop concrete recommendations to prevent and counter violent extremism that can lead to terrorism among young people in West Africa. Policymakers from the region, youth organizations, researchers, practitioners, implementing partners, and donors attended the event, which served as a forum for exchange. Plenary discussions allowed country delegates and representatives from research centres and civil society organizations to highlight the challenges that youth and youth organizations face regarding their involvement in strategies to prevent and counter violent extremism. Several good practices were also identified to implement the Youth, Peace and Security agenda in the region to better address emerging security challenges that impact youth.
Participants also engaged in thematic working groups aimed at encouraging frank and pragmatic discussions and identifying concrete actions to support initiatives that focus on building youth economic and political resilience and addressing drivers of radicalization. Youth-led and youth-oriented organizations had the opportunity to present successful programs implemented, detailing how young people make a difference in their communities.
