The Strong Cities Network (SCN), run by the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), brought together key stakeholders for the first Strong Cities Network Global Summit which took place in Antalya, Turkey on 11-12 May.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has recorded a video highlighting the importance of the Strong Cities Network and the Global Summit in Antalya featuring two days of training and capacity-building sessions, fostering collaboration and sharing valuable lessons and practice from around the world.
“Through global gatherings such as the Summit, regional workshops, and the constant exchange of information and ideas, the Strong Cities Network can help us to implement best practices in responding to a threat that endangers us all.”
John Kerry, US Secretary of State
Video transcripts:
The SCN Global Summit brought together more than 200 delegates to discuss the role of cities, towns and regions in countering violent extremism in all its forms. In total, 62 cities drawn from 39 countries in every major global region were represented, accompanied by top-level national and diplomatic representatives and delegates from multiple NGOs, multilateral organisations and the private sector.
Please click to view the full SCN Global Summit photo gallery.
The Strong Cities Network Steering Committee made up of 25 global cities approved an 18 month program of work to include: the continuation of its three Working Groups; a further three regional training workshops in key priority areas; the development of its program of direct city-to-city exchanges and partnerships; and the delivery of a suite of tools and training resources to cities, demonstrating the potential of increasing local, subnational collaboration on a truly global scale.
The SCN Online Hub was launched at the SCN Global Summit, featuring a vast library of the latest research, official strategy documents, and working papers relating to CVE at the municipal and subnational level available to the 53 SCN member cities. A number of cities have already shared their strategy documents and various pieces of research reflecting community engagement, social histories of their areas, and the development of effective inclusion and CVE policymaking and implementation. Importantly, the Online Hub will also host downloadable toolkits on a range of topics, designed to support practitioners’ training sessions, increase awareness, and support practitioners in demonstrating the value of specific approaches alongside online training modules, designed to spread best-practice and increase knowledge among frontline workers and intervention providers.
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