Empowering Youth and Promoting Tolerance: Practical Approaches to Countering Terrorist Radicalization and Terrorism (UAE)
18 December 2019
UAE
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and Hedayah co-organized a regional high-level conference on Empowering Youth and Promoting Tolerance: Practical Approaches to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in Abu Dhabi on 18-19 December 2019 .
This conference provided an opportunity to discuss initiatives and action plans to strengthen resilience against radicalization leading to terrorism, with a focus on youth empowerment and tolerance at the national and regional levels. The conference facilitated the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices, particularly from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The Conference convened over 300 representatives from League of Arab States countries, along with delegates from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. In addition to government officials, participants included civil society organizations, youth representatives, religious and interfaith leaders, and experts from leading think tanks, reflecting a diverse and multidisciplinary approach to preventing and countering extremism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism.
This conference is the sixth in a series of regional conferences held around the United Nations High-Level Conference for Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States.
The Conference convened three main sessions:
- High-Level Panel on Empowering Youth for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism (PCVE)
- High-Level Panel on Promoting Tolerance for PCVE
- Youth Circle on “Enhancing partnerships between governments, youth, community and religious actors to promote the values of tolerance and strengthen resilience to terrorist narratives.”
Pre-Conference Civil Society Workshop
Ahead of the main conference, a one-day workshop was convened on 17 December, bringing together regional and international civil society organizations. This workshop created a space for grassroots actors to discuss key themes related to youth engagement, community resilience, and empowerment. The insights and recommendations from this dialogue informed and enriched the broader conference deliberations.
Overall, the Conference further strengthened international cooperation to prevent and counter the evolving threat of terrorism.
Read the press release here
