17th February 2016, Addis Ababa – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Security Sector Program (SSP) in partnership with the Global Center on Cooperative Security organized a two days stakeholders meeting on “Strengthening Regional Capacities to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism in the Greater Horn of Africa”.
The implementation of comprehensive and holistic CVE programs requires a coordinated and collaborative approach from a wide variety of actors, including national governments, civil society organizations, and regional and international bodies. This meeting brought together key stakeholders engaged in countering violent extremism (CVE) in the greater Horn of Africa to discuss CVE objectives and priorities for the region, as well as to identify opportunities to strengthen community resilience and deepen capacities to prevent and counter violent extremism.
High level delegates from the IGAD Member States, Tanzania, partners from various diplomatic communities, CSOs, religious groups from the region, and academicians have participated in this meeting and shared experiences. Active discussions on the following topics were held:
– Drivers and Enablers of Violent Extremism, Current National and Regional P/CVE Initiatives,
– Strategies, and Best Practices, Role of Government Agencies and Civil Society Actors Engaged in P/CVE,
– Early Warning Indicators and Early Response Mechanisms for Violent Extremism,
– National and Regional P/CVE Priorities and Opportunities for Engagement, and
– Areas for Collaboration and Coordination on Regional P/CVE Programming.
The outcome of the workshop discussions will inform the establishment and development of the Horn and Eastern African Counter Violent Extremism Center of Excellence and Counter-Messaging Hub that will be established in Djibouti.###
