20 February 2025, Islamabad – Funded by the European Union (EU), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), has launched a three-day workshop on "Enhancing Strategic Communication" in Islamabad. The event aims to build capacity of its 30 partner civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen communication strategies for Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) efforts across Pakistan.
The workshop brings CSOs from 47 communities who are working on a wide variety of thematic areas under the project from community awareness to policy revisions, from researching on roots of extremism to amplifying P/CVE via new media, from social action projects to enhancing employability of youth. This activity marks a significant milestone of project- CPTP, Countering and Preventing Terrorism in Pakistan. Funded by the EU, led by NACTA and executed by UNODC with its partner CSOs, the project aims at empowering community resilience against violent extremism and acts of violence via a three-pronged strategy. The key components include a. building the capacity of criminal justice institutions; b. strengthening victim support through an effective legal system; c. fostering community engagement via developing sustainable networks.
Mr. Syed Arslan Zaidi, Advisor, UNODC provided insights into existing challenges and the dire need to share resilient stories from the field to support the national CVE narrative. Mr. Noman Manzoor senior communication consultant UNODC led the story-building sessions for CSOs from all four provinces emphasizing the importance of crafting effective narratives to enhance public engagement and awareness in CVE initiatives. This was followed by sessions by the representatives of the Interactive Resource Centre, Chromatic and Accountability Lab, the project partners working on new media.
The first day of the workshop focused on understanding the CVE communication landscape in Pakistan. Participants explored successful CVE campaigns, developing human-centered stories to resonate with target audiences. A hands-on session on message crafting enabled participants to refine their storytelling techniques, ensuring clear, impactful messaging for CVE initiatives. The day concluded with a session on social media basics, highlighting platform selection, content planning, and audience engagement strategies.
Day two kick started with the concise presentation outlining the broader UNODC programs and associated visibility guidelines and policies by Ms. Rizwana Rahool, the Advocacy and Communications Officer, UNODC. The session was followed by a public perspective of communications landscape with Dr. Amber Javed, representative from NACTA, who shared how to craft PVE messages when doing outreach and community campaigns. The focus shifted focus to digital communication tools, with practical training in graphic design using Canva and video content creation using CapCut. Collaborative exercises reinforced the importance of compelling visuals and storytelling in digital outreach.
The final day emphasized campaign strategy, integrating multimedia elements into a cohesive outreach plan. Experts guided participants through monitoring and evaluation techniques to measure campaign effectiveness. Additionally, a session on podcast production introduced new avenues for engaging audiences through audio storytelling. The participants dwelled on developing creative human stories from their project and shared these with the group.
This workshop aligns with the EU, NACTA and UNODC’s broader Communications and Visibility Strategy, which aims to amplify the impact of on-ground activities and CVE initiatives through effective advocacy, digital engagement, and media collaboration. The initiative supports Pakistan’s efforts in promoting peace and security, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Participants expressed enthusiasm for the workshop’s interactive approach and practical applications, underscoring its role in enhancing communication strategies for CVE efforts nationwide.
