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National Local Cooperation in South Asia: Barriers, Opportunities and Good Practices

Publication Date:

27/02/2024

Content Type:

Event Reports

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City-Led ActionNational-Local CooperationSouth Asia Regional Hub

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Event Details

Description: The South Asia Regional Hub hosted a webinar to discuss the state of national-local cooperation (NLC) to prevent and respond to hate, extremism and polarisation in the region.

Where & When:  27 February 2024, Virtual

Cities Represented:

• Bangladesh: Narayanganj and Singra
• India: Mumbai and New Delhi
• Maldives: Addu City, Fuvahmulah, South Huvadhu Atoll and Thinadhoo
• Pakistan: Karachi, Mardan, Mirpur Khas, Nowshera and Peshawar
• Sri Lanka: Trincomalee Town and Gravest

Key Takeaways

• Countries in South Asia are starting to move away from highly-centralised approaches to preventing hate and extremism and towards more inclusive ones that allow for local actors, including cities, to play a role. For instance, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan have taken steps to empower local administrations by involving them in developing and implementing prevention measures at the community level. This shift is important, because while national governments are the driving force in addressing imminent security threats, local governments are often better positioned to understand and respond to inter-communal tensions and strengthen social cohesion.
• Cities are determined to contribute to or lead local action against hate and extremism including in countries that do not have a relevant national strategy. For instance, cities in Sri Lanka have launched different activities to strengthen social cohesion and community resilience to extremism and hate despite a lack of national frameworks.
• Capacity and resource gaps have hindered the development and implementation of relevant city-level prevention policies and programmes. The lack of adequate capacities and resources is even more pronounced in smaller and remote towns and villages that are targeted by malign actors. This includes border towns which are disproportionately affected by instability and violence in neighbouring states.
• To address capacity and resources gaps, cities in the region have tried to leverage civil society’s (including community-based organisations) access, skills and knowledge to de-escalate inter-communal tensions and prevent violence. Grassroot initiatives that promote inclusivity and peace have been key for municipalities to bring residents together and create unity within their cities. Some of these activities have been co-organised with, or supported or included the participation of, local councils and city administrations. This has allowed local governments to build stronger relationships with community members and particularly with youth, women and minority groups. This has also led to greater interest, and in some cases, participation of less represented groups in local decision-making and initiatives.
• Disagreements and distrust between the ruling party and the opposition create barriers to meaningful NLC. This is most prominent in cities with mayors and local councils from the opposition and is characterised by inadequate coordination and communication between the city administration and law enforcement, which is controlled by national governments in the region. Furthermore, obstacles to NLC are also evident when there is a change of government at the local level.  In many cases, when a newly elected mayor is from a different political party than their predecessor, the former discontinues ongoing programmes, reshuffles staff members and ignores frameworks and relationships developed by the previous government. This diminishes the institutional memory of the local government and undermines the sustainability of its initiatives.

Next Steps

Following the webinar, the South Asia Regional Hub will incorporate the findings and feedback gathered during the session into its mapping of barrier to, opportunities for and good practices in NLC in South Asia, which will inform its engagement with national and local governments in the region. Strong Cities will continue to facilitate processes to enhance NLC at the regional and country level including through its Technical Support Fund and Resource Hub. 

Additional Resources

• A Guide for City-Led Response, Strong Cities Network (March 2024)
• National-Local Cooperation Toolkit, Global Counterterrorism Forum (September 2023)
• A Guide for Mayors: Preventing and Responding to Hate, Extremism and Polarisation  Strong Cities Network (September 2023)
• A Guide for Cities: Preventing Hate, Extremism and Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (September 2023)
• South Asia Regional Hub: Regional Workshop on Inclusive, City-Led Approaches to Preventing Hate, Extremism and Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (August 2023)
• Southeast Asia Regional Workshop: Strengthening National-Local Cooperation to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (July 2023)
• Implementing the GCTF Good Practices on Strengthening National-Local Cooperation in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conductive to Terrorism: Mapping Strengths and Challenges in East and Southern Africa,  Strong Cities Network (November 2022)
• State of Play: National-Local Cooperation in P/CVE – What We Learned & What Needs to Improve, Strong Cities Network (October 2022)
• Memorandum on Good Practices on Strengthening National-Local Cooperation in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conductive to Terrorism, Global Counterterrorism Forum (September 2020)

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