IGAD Engages with Law Enforcement Bodies and Local Communities in Preventing Violent Extremism

06-11-2018, Djibouti (Djibouti): The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, Mr. Mohamed Ali Hassan, this morning inaugurated a workshop held in Djibouti by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Strategies on Law Enforcement and Local Communities Engagement in Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism.

 The three-day workshop is bringing together around 50 participants from IGAD Member States, the Republic of Tanzania and a wider section of representatives of civil society organizations, academia, and various stakeholders.

 The overall objective of the workshop is to discuss and develop strategies on how law enforcement bodies and local communities can engage in preventing and countering violent extremism in the region.

 The Permanent Secretary in his opening remarks thanked all the partners bringing support to the Djibouti-based IGAD Centre for Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism (IGAD CPCVE). He called on participants to think of tangible actions and activities within the framework of the workshop that would participate in mitigating recruitment of youths in violent extremism.

 IGAD Executive Secretary, H.E. Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, reminded the audience that the IGAD CPCVE initiative fell under the Peace & Security structure of the regional organisation so as to reinforce the soft power component to the security and peace building efforts. He said that the Centre was a tool meant to engage with civil society groups and other stakeholders for the purpose of counter-messaging violent extremism and disengaging youths from vulnerability to it.

 The Ambassadors to Djibouti of the European Union Delegation, of the United States, of Turkey, and of Italy also took the floor during the opening session.

 During the workshop, the thematic discussions will focus on effective community policing as a tool for preventing and countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE); Human Rights standards/provisions relevant to law enforcement agencies’ engagement with local communities; strategic communication for law enforcement agencies and community leaders; and the nexus between transnational crimes and preventing and countering violent extremism.

 The expected outputs of the workshop are:

• a policy/strategy/program recommendations relating to the key elements necessary for successful law enforcement and community engagement to prevent and counter violent extremism, and how these can be addressed in the context of the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa.
• evidence or best practice, as discussed in the meeting, in order to assist learning from current experience in Italy and the Horn and Eastern Africa region.

 This workshop is organized with the assistance of the government of Italy.

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