Countering violent extremism (CVE) initiatives tackle conditions conducive to radicalization into violent extremism with the ultimate aim of denying terrorist groups new supporters and recruits. The strategies and tools that governments and civil society organizations use to counter violent extremism vary, reflecting differing conditions and settings. The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) has addressed some of these strategies including: 1) focusing on prisons and delineating good practices on rehabilitating and reintegrating into society violent extremist offenders who have disengaged from violent extremism; 2) enumerating good practices on working with victims of terrorism in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack; 3) exploring the importance of multi-sectoral (i.e., government institutions, agencies, the private sector, and civil society) approaches to CVE; 4) examining the methods of CVE communications most resonant with key audiences; and 5) measuring the effectiveness of CVE programming.
Interwoven through CVE initiatives is the need to develop solutions relevant to the audience being addressed. Despite the growing importance of the Internet, radicalization to violence continues to take place primarily at the local level, often through face-to-face engagement. Therefore, locally-relevant CVE initiatives are central to the success of any strategy. Two key CVE tools that emphasize local strategies are community engagement and community-oriented policing. Community engagement and community-oriented policing are related tools that focus on building trust with local communities and engaging with them as partners to develop information-driven community-based solutions to local issues. Such engagement is meant to raise community awareness about the threat of violent extremism, to provide them with the necessary tools, and to empower them to intervene and prevent radicalization and violence. The more aware communities are of potential threats to their security, the more empowered they are to be resilient against it and the better prepared they can be to counter the threats themselves.
Community engagement and community-oriented policing initiatives should be tactfully and carefully tailored to the local conditions and cultures, as well as every State’s legal system, while also respecting international law. However, GCTF members have identified several non-binding good practices that can inform the CVE policies, approaches, and programs of GCTF members and others, as well as create a foundation for continued dialogue, collaboration and research among interested GCTF members and other interested stakeholders. GCTF members and non-members alike are encouraged to consider the following good practices, where appropriate, as they seek to strengthen existing or develop new programs or policies in this field. These non-binding good practices were developed during and following two exchanges among CVE practitioners from GCTF members and non-members alike in Washington, DC in March 2013. They are not intended to be exhaustive. The GCTF’s CVE Working Group may choose to expand or modify this list to take into account the experience of States’ and other relevant CVE good practices in these fields.
These non-binding good practices were developed during and following two exchanges among CVE practitioners from GCTF members and non-members alike in Washington, DC in March 2013. They are not intended to be exhaustive. The GCTF’s CVE Working Group may choose to expand or modify this list to take into account the experience of States’ and other relevant CVE good practices in these fields.
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