The International Day Against Violent Extremism
12 February: Celebrating the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) as and when conducive to Terrorism
By Lorenzo Bersellini / GICJ
“Violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism challenges the United Nations values of peace, justice, and human dignity”. [1]
Infused with a profound sense of urgency and gravity, these were the words chosen by Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT), for the second celebration of the “International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) as and when conducive to Terrorism” on 12 February 2024, as established by the UN General Assembly in 2022. In his statement, Voronkov placed violent extremism and UN values at opposite poles. In doing so, his remarks echoed those of former UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon who, in his “Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism”, defined such form of violence as an affront to the UN and what it stands for [2].
In his initiative, the former Secretary General not only denounced every form of extremism, but also advocated for a comprehensive plan to be implemented by the UN and its Member States to eradicate the conditions conducive to extremism that lead to terrorism. Embracing this approach, the UN General Assembly first welcomed the plan of Ban-Ki-Moon on the 12 February 2016, and then established – through Resolution 77/243 (2022) [3] – this date as the dedicated International Day for PVE when conducive to Terrorism.
Violent Extremism and the Conditions Conducive to it
Violent extremism conducive to terrorism is a phenomenon that cuts across nationalities, generations, religions and genders. On one hand, the UN firmly denounces the terrible atrocities committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al-Qaida and Boko Haram, and states that the African continent remains the “epicenter of global terrorism” [4]. On the other hand, it stresses that violent extremism should not be specifically associated and limited to any of the aforementioned categories, groups or regions.
Given the complex nature of the problem, one of the aims of this International Day is to sensitize people around the multifaceted conditions that lead to it. According to the First Pillar of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy of 2006 [5], they include (but are not limited to) prolonged and unresolved conflicts, lack of the rule of law and violations of human rights, ethnic, national and religious discrimination, political exclusion, socio-economic marginalisation and lack of good governance. When these factors are in place, extremist ideas find fertile ground to grow, facilitated by the internet, social media and even online games.
In highlighting such preconditions, the UN does not justify the application of extremist ideas and the violence that ensues from them. On the contrary, it recognises that the strategies implemented to tackle the issue must go beyond the simple security-based approach adopted in the last decades. They should instead include comprehending and eradicating the roots of the problem at its societal core while respecting human rights. Hence, the emphasis has shifted towards preventing civilians, especially the youth, from being radicalised and towards advocating for higher involvement of the media, civil and religious society, as well as businesses, in formulating strategies for PVE.
UN Action for PVE conducive to Terrorism
By initiative of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the UN Global Counter Terrorism Coordination Compact was launched in 2018, with the objective of coordinating the action of UN and non-UN members in the fight against terrorism. The first of its eight working groups focuses on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism, following the indications provided in Pillar I of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. Chaired by UNOCT, and co-chaired by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC), the working group seeks to prevent and counter violent extremism linked to terrorism while upholding human rights, the rule of law, gender equality, and youth empowerment in line with international law.
One of the ongoing initiatives in this framework is UNESCO and UNAOC’s #YouthWagingPeace programme [6], involving youth-led activities to educate people between the age of 21 and 35 in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh on PVE and mobilise their communities towards sustainable peace. The underlying belief is that “no one is born a violent extremist, but they are made and fueled” (UNESCO). Therefore, education plays a crucial role in preventing the radicalisation of young individuals.
Another project led by UNOCT is the Global Sports Programme [7], which leverages on sports values to strengthen social cohesion and promote a culture of mutual respect and positive relationships between people, regardless of their faith, race or culture.
The UN also embraces, supports and promotes civil society action that challenges the proliferation of violent extremism, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s partnership with Victims’ Voices [8]. This initiative, started in 2013 by a victim of a terrorist attack in Jakarta, provides a space for victims of terrorist attacks to share their stories and promote peace.
Underlying all of this, there is a continuous call to member states to take all necessary actions to prevent the spread of violent extremism and condemn it in all its forms.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) aligns with the UN in strongly condemning all forms of violent extremism conducive to terrorism as the antipode of UN fundamental values of peace, security and human rights. Moreover, GICJ commends the effort of the UN and highlights the necessity to counter such violent practices in full respect of human rights and by fostering education, youth and women empowerment, civil society involvement, communal values and, fundamentally, a shared sense of humanity. Indeed, in a world where forms of violent extremism are practiced by both state and non-state actors and affect people of all origins, ethnicity, age, gender, and religion, we must treasure the life and the sense of humanity that violent extremism intends to eradicate.
In-text references
Picture: terrorists | made by Fed 3 | Radulescu Andrei | Flickr
[2] https://docs.un.org/en/A/70/674
[3] https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/77/243
[4] Security Council debates growing terrorism threat in Africa | UN News
[5] https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/60/288
[7] Sports and security | Office of Counter-Terrorism
[8] Interview: Victims´ Voices co-founder urges more action in preventing violent extremism
