By Eric Rosand | October 19, 2017

Observing recent developments in the United States, one might assume that countering/preventing violent extremism (CVE or PVE) is a quickly disappearing policy fad of the Obama administration. These efforts encompass a range of law enforcement and non-law enforcement means to prevent individuals from being radicalized to violence, with a focus on addressing the grievances that make individuals vulnerable to recruitment to terrorist organizations and intervening before individuals become violent.

The Trump administration has zeroed out the short-lived Department of Homeland Security CVE grants program, effectively disbanded the inter-agency CVE task force, and showed nothing but disdain for the CVE policy of the Obama-era that sought to empower communities and catalyze locally-led interventions to build resilience against violent extremism across the ideological spectrum. Most recently, in her Congressional testimony last month on “Threats to the Homeland,” Acting Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Elaine Duke eschewed the “countering violent extremism” framing of the Obama-era, pivoting instead to what the current White House views to be the more muscular and targeted label of “terrorism prevention.”

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2017/10/19/how-international-development-institutions-are-becoming-hubs-for-addressing-violent-extremism/

National governments and international bodies consistently highlight a lack of evidence of what works in preventing violent extremism (PVE) as a challenge to building support for PVE policies, programmes, and resources. RUSI-led work in phase 1 of the Prevention Project identified over 1,000 civil society organisations (CSOs) working in the field of PVE in approximately 100 countries. Yet, few PVE interventions have been evaluated publicly, and empirical research on the impact of PVE is limited.

This evidence gap will not be filled by a single project. However, with support from the Royal Norwegian Government, and building on research conducted during phase I of the Prevention Project and as a contribution to the Global Solutions Exchange, RUSI will help address it through the development of a global PVE impact database that will seek to capture information on all known PVE civil society-led interventions as a basis for a global meta-evaluation of the impact of PVE intervention.

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Evidence demonstrates that efforts by governments and multilateral actors, particularly security-focused initiatives, are not sufficient to prevent violent extremism. Governments and multilateral institutions need to work more closely with other sectors of society to address the relevant underlying drivers of this phenomenon. Civil society organizations (CSOs) are especially important as they are citizen-led, locally rooted entities that have the access and long-term commitment needed to foster social cohesion and respect for equal rights and pluralism in their communities. This call for collaboration and inclusion is enshrined in the former UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) and in a growing number of national PVE action plans.

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There is growing recognition that effectively preventing violent extremism (PVE) and fostering sustainable peace and pluralism requires a “whole of society” effort that extends beyond governments alone to include civil society actors, particularly those with longstanding experience in leading such efforts in their communities. It draws on the strengths of all sectors to create a win-win approach. This approach is enshrined in the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action on PVE and a growing number of national PVE plans. All governments and multilateral organizations should recognize and support this critical sector as allies not adversaries in the complex, long-term struggle to prevent violent extremism from gaining a foothold in their societies.

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This GSX document outlines recommendations from civil society to donors that fund or are interested in funding preventing violent extremism (PVE) programming domestically and/or through development or other foreign assistance. The document reflects input received from a diverse group of international and local civil society organizations (CSOs) and CSO networks, including organizations led by women and youth, from Africa; Europe; Central, South, and Southeast Asia; and the Middle East. These organizations and networks work on preventing violent extremism through approaches including peacebuilding, conflict resolution, youth, gender, or economic empowerment, building resilience, and rehabilitation and reintegration. In addition, this document reflects some of the lessons learned from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), the Geneva-based multilateral PVE fund.

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