Today, 83% of deadly violence occurs outside of conflict zones, with the majority of this violence concentrated in cities. Nation states have dominated the global political arena for centuries, but with more than half of the world’s population today residing in cities, it may be time to rethink who should be at the table when it comes to decisions on how we can reduce violence.
Polarisation and extremism have historically been critical security threats to communities in the Balkans. North Macedonia is no exception. SCN Manager Simeon Dukic describes how one city has implemented its new Local Action Plan to help address these threats and outlines how other cities can take a similar leap.
Robert Muggah is a specialist in cities, security, migration and new technologies. In this article, originally published on the World Economic Forum website, he argues that cities are taking an increasingly vocal and visible role in stepping up to some of the biggest challenges our world faces today where nation states are floundering.
With £400,000 from City Hall generously match-funded by Google.org, the new fund is part of Mayor Khan’s £1 million investment to support London’s first ever Countering Violent Extremism programme, which launched in December 2017. Grassroots organisations from across London will have the opportunity to bid for grants up to £50,000, providing them with the vital…
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Above: Teams develop their campaigns at our Youth Innovation Labs, like this one in Mombasa, with guidance provided by the Young Cities team. It started with a simple invitation – a request for applications from youth interested in attending an innovation lab and solving a key local challenge. We shortlisted the brightest ideas and invited…
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Mandera County Chief Officer for Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism, Mr. Mohamed Adan Osman (left), in discussion with Mr. Saleh Maalim Alio (right) of Mandera Municipality Board member at the SCN Isiolo Inter-County Exchange Conference, 20-22 November 2019. In order to understand the many and varied challenges and realities facing P/CVE efforts across Kenya, we…
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Photo by Monica Melton on Unsplash Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) conducive to spread of terrorism continues to be a leading political and security priority in Kenya. The Global Terrorism Index for 2019 ranked Kenya at 21 in its list of countries in the world most affected by terrorism, and has consistently remained in the top 25…
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On Friday, November 15, 2019, a group of 24 organisations announced the formation of a local coalition called United for All. Led by the City of Ottawa, United Way East Ontario, Ottawa Police Services, and joined by many other organisations, the group will coordinate local efforts to overcome hate and violence in the city. As its first milestone, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and the City of Ottawa’s leadership signed the Strong Cities Network (SCN) agreement as the largest coalition of organisations to join the network.
One of the most significant challenges in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) is the sharing of information, resources, expertise and strategies. The lack of proper channels of communication, shared goals and informal spaces to discuss exchanges of ideas can breed mistrust and isolationism.
To encourage the breaking down of these barriers, the Strong Cities Network (SCN) has conducted a series of city exchanges between its members. In this article, Local Prevention Coordinator Veton Latifi outlines their purpose and describes the latest (and first) city exchange to take place in the Western Balkans.
Continuing on from our previous article on the importance of engaging and involving youth in municipal decision-making, as well as the mission of the SCN’s Young Cities programme, we are pleased to provide an update on the projects and work that youth are undertaking in Kenya, Lebanon and Senegal. We hope this can provide inspiration for our members for ideas on how cities can work with and empower youth, the range of issues that can be addressed, as well as the benefits of collaboration.
Facilitate systematic sharing of knowledge, expertise and lessons learned on building social cohesion and community resilience to prevent violent extremism across cities on an international basis, through both regional workshops and international conferences.
Raise awareness of existing policy, programming, and practice through a dynamic and searchable ‘Online Information Hub’, providing an extensive library of existing local approaches and responses to prevent violent extremism.
Directly support cities to develop strategic frameworks and capabilities to build resilience that safeguard the rights of their local communities, including through capacity building seminars and interactive training modules on themes of mutual interest.
Directly seed the development of new and innovative projects through ‘Local Innovation Grants’, providing support for cities on innovative project development and support for the transfer of promising projects that could be adapted across different locations.
Directly support cities to develop strategic frameworks and capabilities to build resilience that safeguard the rights of their local communities, including through capacity building seminars and interactive training modules on themes of mutual interest.
Provide a global platform to enable cities to jointly voice their needs and those of their communities, to inform national and international decision-making on preventing the spread and growth of violent extremism.
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