Out of the Black in Kazakhstan
In early January this year, Kazakhstan experienced a wave of anti-government protests that quickly spread nationwide. In little over a…
Recent News
Promoting Democracy and Security in Africa: Don’t Forget Cities
Writing for the Soufan Center, Eric Rosand and Daniel Hooton of the Strong Cities Network present key findings and recommendations…
Civil Society and Preventing Violent Extremism Amid Lebanon’s Economic Crisis
For more than two years, Lebanon has been sinking into the worst socio-economic crisis in its history, not seen even…
Webinar: Rehabilitation & Reintegration of Family Members of Foreign Terrorist Fighters: The Roles of Cities and Other Local Actors
Join us for the first in a series of monthly webinars that the SCN will be hosting throughout 2022 on…
SCN Fact Sheet
WHAT IS THE STRONG CITIES NETWORK? The Strong Cities Network (SCN) is an independent global network of 150+ cities and…
SCN Facilitation of GCTF National-Local Cooperation Workshops
On 29 November and 6 December 2021, the SCN facilitated two virtual workshops organised by the GCTF Countering Violent Extremism…
SCN Africa Summit and Kenya Inter-County Exchange Highlight Local Priorities for Prevention for 2022
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, people around the world have not been allowed to travel…
SCN Africa Summit: Supporting City-Led Efforts to Address Hate, Polarisation and Extremism
Over the past few years, the Strong Cities Network (SCN) has worked across several cities in Africa, specifically in Kenya…
South Asia Summit: Supporting City-Led Efforts to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism
Over the past four years, the SCN has worked across the South Asia region to support city-led efforts against violent…
Extremism in Bangladesh: The Role of Cities in Developing a Long Term Plan of Action for P/CVE Efforts
The roots of Islamist extremism in Bangladesh can be traced back to British Colonial rule, during which the social, economic…
What we do
DesignWe partner with city officials to establish local risk assessments and design action plans and programmatic responses. From de-radicalisation programming to youth engagement strategies, we ensure that local responses address local needs.
Working from the ground up, we establish local coordination bodies that unite city halls, civil society educators, public health bodies, the private sector and faith leaders to identify and address community tensions. We base our success on harnessing existing and credible institutions, from social services to traditional civic infrastructure.
We galvanise mayors, city officials, local services, communities and youth, training them to play active roles in diagnosing and responding to local risk factors, creating an international repository of best practice approaches.
We help members access the latest research and best practice from across the network through our SCN Online Hub, which features stories, interviews, guides and training modules for teachers, city officials and civil society. Our SCN Hate and Extremism Mapper provides members with data, building digital observatories that correlate online risks with offline behaviour.
We act as a bridge, creating stronger working relationships between local and national governments. We also provide civil society with the knowledge, skills and resources to foster meaningful partnerships with officials in city halls.