Skip to main content
Service for Foreign Policy Instruments
News article18 August 2020Service for Foreign Policy Instruments

Working together to prevent violent extremism in Southeast Asia

The EU, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) have launched a new partnership to prevent violent extremism in Southeast Asia.

This partnership builds on the networks, approaches, and expertise established during the first phase of an 18-month EU-UNDP project on prevention of violent extremism (PVE).

The objective of the project’s first phase, which was launched in August 2018, was to address the root causes of violent extremism and promote tolerance and respect for diversity in Southeast Asia.

The project’s second iteration brings on board UNOCT as a key partner.

The project continues to prevent and counter violent extremism and will also respond to and mitigate the social and economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which can exacerbate the conditions conducive to terrorism.

Working with government counterparts, community leaders, civil society organisations, and relevant regional and international organisations, the project will play a key role in supporting states’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic in addition to the threat of violent extremism that can lead to terrorism.

The driving forces behind violent extremism in the region are largely found at local levels and are tied to long-term social problems such as political and economic marginalisation. The project will therefore build and strengthen the resilience of at-risk communities.

The first phase of the project supported the National Action Plans to prevent violent extremism, in line with the UN Secretary General’s Plan of Action adopted in 2015. It also sought to underline the gender dimensions of extremist narratives, and to highlight the important role young people play in preventing the spread of radical ideologies. During the first phase of the project, young influential video-makers were trained under a partnership with YouTube to promote positive content online through the Creators for Change programme.

To read more, please see the press announcement from UNDP here.

Read more about the elements of the first phase of the project:

Creators for Change

Under this project UNDP’s PVE team, with EU support, will continue to implement its work on social media to address extremism online. ExtremeLives, a mini-documentary series seeking to uncover the human face behind violent extremism, is now planning its fourth season.

Details

Publication date
18 August 2020
Author
Service for Foreign Policy Instruments