At a nearby hotel in Islamabad, the Community Resilience Activity – North (CRA-North), in partnership with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism (CoECVE) and Paigham-e-Pakistan, held the Conference on Countering Violent Extremism to a close. The conference, which took place over three days on March 6, 7, and 8, 2024, passionately discussed the critical role that collaborations between international stakeholders, government agencies, and civil society groups have in developing long-term plans to counter violent extremism.
In order to map out a path towards successful counter-extremism initiatives, a variety of stakeholders, including government officials, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA), CVE experts, academic researchers, and other stakeholders, came together for the conference, which offered a forum for thought-provoking talks and insightful sessions. The occasion emphasized tactics for upcoming programming under the purview of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (GoKP), with an emphasis on encouraging cooperation and requesting assistance from government institutions.
Sessions that focused on using social and mass media to spread narratives about resisting violent extremism and involving educational institutions as important players in building a resilient society against violent extremism were particularly important.
Participants argued that educational institutions play a crucial role in educating the next generation about counter-extremist narratives. Aware of the vital role that educational settings play, stakeholders emphasized the need to immunize children against extremist ideas by including CVE themes into academic curriculum and encouraging critical thinking skills in them.
Comprehensive talks on community resilience, capacity-building programs, and the role of education and youth participation in thwarting violent extremism were among the conference’s major features. Using mass media and social media platforms to engage the public and spread the word through educational institutions, the sessions explored the significance of partnerships between government agencies, civil society organizations, and international stakeholders in developing sustainable CVE strategies.
In order to combat violent extremism in the merged areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in North Waziristan, Khyber, Kurram, and Orakzai districts, Dr. Ayaz Khan, Chief Coordination/Executive Officer of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Center of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism (CoECVE), stressed the importance of the cooperative efforts between CRA-North and CoECVE. He reaffirmed CoECVE’s dedication to both preventing and combating violent extremism.
The head of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Dr. Qibla Ayaz, conveyed his gratitude to everyone present for their thoughtful and engaged involvement. He reiterated the commitment of CRA-North and its partners to ongoing collaboration in this vital endeavor and stressed the need of collaborative action in confronting the complex issues posed by violent extremism.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, the Community Resilience Activity – North (CRA-North) seeks to enhance community resilience and defuse tensions in the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of Khyber, Kurram, North Waziristan, and Orakzai.
CRA-N, which is being implemented in close coordination with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (GoKP) at the district and regional levels, aims to support communities of former Temporary Displaced Persons (TDPs) and promote civic involvement and social cohesion. It focuses especially on populations that have been targeted by violent extremist organizations (VEOs) because of their social, ethnic, or religious identities.
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