Group photo of the workshop participants.
From 14 to 16 March 2018, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) organized a sub-regional workshop on promoting the adoption and implementation of national strategies to counter violent extremism (CVE). Focusing on national CVE efforts in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the Republic of Maldives, the workshop included the sharing of good practices and lessons learned; the roles of government and civil society in developing and implementing CVE strategies, including the importance of accounting for youth and gender; evolving international approaches; and rehabilitation and reintegration.
In her opening remarks, Executive Director of CTED, Assistant Secretary-General Michèle Coninsx, said that the workshop “provides an important forum for counter-terrorism officials, senior police officers and experts to discuss challenges and share lessons learned and good practices in the context of CVE-related issues, and most importantly – to foster habits of collective efforts to address violent extremism both in the region and beyond.”
Participants included officials from the Governments of Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, representatives from national and international civil society organizations (CSOs) and academics, as well as experts from CTED; the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General; the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC); the UN Counter-Terrorism Office (OCT); the UN Development Programme (UNDP); and UN Women.
Over the three days, participants engaged in numerous interactive panel discussions, concluding with a case study simulation exercise. The format enabled participants to strengthen national and regional information-exchange networks, and to promote cooperation among counter-terrorism officials from the region, especially those focusing on CVE. In addition, it served as an opportunity to raise awareness about key Security Council resolutions of relevance to all Member States, such as resolutions 1373 (2001); 1624 (2005); 2178 (2014); 2395, and 2396 (2017).
Held in New York, the workshop was made possible thanks to generous support from the Government of Japan.
To access more photos from the workshop, please visit our Flickr album here.