1 December, Abuja - The Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) joined forces with UNODC in 2021 to implement the project STRIVE Juvenile, which is funded by the European Union (EU). The third National Project Steering Committee Meeting, chaired by ONSA and co-chaired by the EU, presented an opportunity for key stakeholders to enter into constructive dialogue on the achievements of the project and to guide its future development.
In opening the meeting, Ms. Mairo Musa Abbas, Head of Preventing Violent Extremism, ONSA, noted the value of STRIVE Juvenile initiatives that “allow us to garner a better understanding of the trajectories of children when they join and also when they leave the groups; that support the different stakeholders in promoting coordinated approaches; and that aim to raise awareness around the dangers and consequences of child recruitment.”
Mr. Ruben Alba Aguilera, representing the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS added that “Coordination and multi-disciplinarity are the reasons why the role of this Steering Committee is so crucial. This is the most important forum for the discussion and validation of the project’s objectives and interventions.”
Mr. Dennis Ozioko delivered a presentation on behalf of ONSA which highlighted the achievements of the project in 2022 including: completion of research activities; the adoption and launch of the “Nigeria Call for Action”; the development of a Guidance Note on the treatment of children associated with terrorist and violent extremist groups in Nigeria; the completion of a capacity-building cycle on the treatment of children associated with terrorist groups; and the initiation of a capacity-building cycle on child-sensitive individual assessment.
Mr. Ozioko noted that the latest training workshop on the treatment of children associated with terrorist groups (28-30 November) had perfectly exemplified the synergy that exists amongst project stakeholders.“The Training of Trainers Workshop brought together multidisciplinary stakeholders from different institutions dealing with children associated with terrorist groups. The comprehensive training cycle is designed to support professionals in the implementation of a comprehensive and coherent approach in line with the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches recommended by the Nigeria Call for Action launched today.”
The Steering Committee members, including representatives of Federal and State government as well as civil society organizations, confirmed their appreciation of progress made and stressed their support for the next steps.
The UNODC Team presented updates to the workplan for the second year of the implementation of the Project, introducing plans for an awareness raising campaign that will target communities in Borno State with the objective of supporting the prevention of child recruitment by terrorist groups and the reintegration and rehabilitation of children formerly associated with these groups. Ms. Alexandra Martins, on behalf of the STRIVE Juvenile team, emphasized that “involving children and youth in decision-making processes and empowering them as agents of change for their own protection is key for any effective intervention.” This approach is supported by the UNODC Strategic Vision for Nigeria which identifies ‘youth inclusion, participation and empowerment’ as a key enabler of transformative change.
Adoption of the 'Nigeria Call for Action' to protect children from the threat of terrorism... read more
STRIVE Juvenile Nigeria 3rd Steering Committee Meeting... read more
ToT on the treatment of children associated with terrorist and violent extremist groups... read more
STRIVE Juvenile Indonesia workshop on strengthening rehabilitation and reintegration processes... read more
STRIVE Juvenile Iraq 3-day workshop on ‘Psychosocial Assessment Processes'... read more
Second Steering Committee Meeting of STRIVE Juvenile in Nigeria... read more
STRIVE Juvenile Indonesia - Roundtable on the Guidance Note on Juvenile Justice and National Coordination Meeting... read more
Newsroom
During the Special Event, the new project STRIVE Juvenile has been presented. STRIVE Juvenile: Preventing and Responding to Violence against Children by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups is a three-year (2021-2024), EUR 5.5 million initiative by the European Union and UNODC. The project aims to partner with the selected countries, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Iraq and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the development and implementation of comprehensive national responses to prevent and counter violent extremism affecting children, in full respect of human rights, gender equality and international law... Read more
