UNICRI Briefs open meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee

UNICRI on 29 April briefed an open meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee on preventing violent extremism through community resilience.

Based on findings from its research and the programmes it has implemented, the Institute highlighted the complexity of extremism and the factors that influence recruitment, and recommended adopting comprehensive, long-term peace-building approaches that foster close-knit and cohesive communities to effectively combat violence and effect change.

Some of UNICRI's initiatives to prevent violent extremism include the project on Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism in the Sahel and Maghreb regions, implemented from 2015 to 2020 was instrumental in providing evidence-based insights into effective resilience-building strategies. Research initiatives include the publications on Perceptions of climate change and violent extremism released in October 2022 and Voices of Resilience: A Gender Needs Analysis on Preventing Violent Extremism in the Sahel published in November 2023.

By conducting research and listening to the voices of the most impacted individuals across different countries, UNICRI has identified how the needs of local communities, their priorities, grievances, restrictions, and access to services can inform recommendations on whom to target, where, and how - when it comes to interventions related to the prevention of violent extremism.