General news about the Strong Cities Network, including updates to our members, website news, events and more.
Last July we wrote an article putting forward the case for the repatriation of foreign fighters and their families from Syria and Iraq. We want to try and capture the views of city governments, and see what you as our members think we can do.
While overall global numbers of female participation in politics are rising, there is a lot of work to be done. According to a recent study by the World Economic Forum, just 38% of all nations have had a female head of government or state for at least a year in the past 50 years. Moreover,…
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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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Building cooperation between national and local authorities to prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE) is imperative. If we get it right, it improves information sharing, ensures a fair distribution of responsibilities, while creating synergies in efforts to reduce duplication.
The reality is often very different however. In this article, we map out the reasons for this divide, why it is imperative that we bridge it, and outline some basic steps towards improving national-local cooperation.
Above: Alpha Cheng After the traumatic experience of losing his father to a violent extremist attack four years ago, Alpha Cheng decided to advocate for social cohesion, resilience and inclusivity. Reflecting on his path since that life changing moment and his future goals, he shares his thoughts on the current state of preventing and countering…
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Above: Participants at Venice City Solutions In our last newsletter, the Head of the Strong Cities Network (SCN) wrote about the similarities between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) agendas following the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. This month, the SCN joined mayors, local and regional government officials, and civil…
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During this year’s UN General Assembly, a huge focus was placed on the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2016 with the convening of the SDG Summit to review the roadmap to 2030. In our main article, Head of Strong Cities Network, Rebecca Skellett, asks whether SDGs and PVE are working towards the same goal?
Right-wing extremist groups and ideologies are rising across the global north. Climbing hate crime statistics highlight the increased violence and harassment which minority communities are under, whilst recent terror attacks in New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom throw this threat into the fore. However, the question remains, how should local authorities…
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SCN Coordinator Marta Lopes speaking at the PRoTECT Seminar in Brasov, Romania Author: Marta Lopes Coordinator, SCN The SCN has launched a new project to develop a “Post-Incident Response Toolkit” which will provide key guidance and insight to both city leaders and practitioners on best practice responses following a terrorist attack or suspected terrorist attack….
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Above: Head of SCN, Rebecca Skellett, spoke at length on the importance of local leadership. As part of our partnership with the UN Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN-CTED), the Head of the Strong Cities Network, Rebecca Skellett had the opportunity to present at the open briefing on the protection of ‘soft’ targets through local engagement…
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