The risks of violent extremism have continued to increase since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been amplified by the exploitation of the Internet and social media by violent extremist and terrorist groups. To counter this phenomenon, the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism called for Member States to further develop national strategies to prevent violent extremism (PVE) while also enhancing cooperation at the regional level.
In this context, UNODC has been promoting the development of a regional network of PVE practitioners in South-East Asia since 2018. Establishing this network supports the overall objective of the UNODC Regional Programme for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (2022-2026), aimed at securing and reinforcing the rule of law and protecting vulnerable groups and communities in the region from drugs and crime. The initiative ultimately contributes to achieving the targets set by Sustainable Development Goal 16 - promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
Relatedly, UNODC delivers technical support to develop a Preparatory Working Group of PVE Practitioners of South-East Asia (PWG-PVE) intended to serve as a platform for facilitating regional cooperation, sharing of knowledge and good practices in the PVE area. This support will lay the groundwork for developing the future full-fledged PVE network. To ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of national and regional PVE strategies, the network will promote a whole-of-society approach and multi-disciplinary and multi-agency coordination.
In response to the request of participating South-East Asian countries following the first consultation meeting held in September 2021, UNODC convened the second consultation meeting on 21-22 March 2022 together with the National Counter-Terrorism Agency of Indonesia (“Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme”, BNPT). The meeting initiated Phase I of the Preparatory Working Group of PVE practitioners and discussed the way forward for its operationalization and its temporary advisory board structure. In addition, attending PVE experts shared their experiences by presenting the advantages of building such regional PVE networks through holistic and multi-disciplinary approaches.
Reflecting on the discussion, meeting participants also highlighted the benefits of this regional PVE initiative in strengthening regional collaboration and enhancing national and regional capacities in PVE through peer-to-peer learning and the exchange of knowledge and good practices.
The activity was funded by the Government of Japan.
