Third Panel under the theme of “Preventing Violent Extremism Through Education: UNAOC’s Approach Through Youth Projects (organized by UNAOC)” was held on 20 October 2016 within the International Conference on the Role of Youth in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism: Holistic Approaches from Education to De-Radicalization moderated by Nathalie Guillaume, Policy Analyst and Public Information Officer, UNAOC.
The panel was attended by Velma Saric, Founder & CEO, Post-Conflict Research Center, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jonah Obajeun, Chief Curator of Tolerance Academy, Nigeria, Abou El Mahassine Fassi-Fihri, Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa, Search for Common Ground | End Violent Conflict, Tunisia, Benard Wakoli, Founder and Director of Yaya Education Trust, Kenya, Nuriia Karakulova, Member of Search for Common Ground, Kyrgyzstan and Vugar Allahverdiyev, Associate Programme Officer, Office of the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth.
Velma Saric informed the participants about the nowadays situation of young people in Bosnia Hersegovina, where 60% of them unemployed. She noted that more than hundred young people went to war in the Middle East from Bosnia Hersegovina. The aim of the Post-Conflict Research Center is to educate young people to restrain from such things and for that reason they established some awards and worked with international organizations such as UNOAC in this field.
Jonah Obajeun explained the Nigerian case. He talked that young people don’t have options and no place to use their energy, and that is why Tolerance Academy’s work is to create conditions for young people through education.
Benard Wakoli emphasized that young people from Kenya go to Somali to be trained by terrorist groups, and Yaya Education Trust’s job is to low down the number of those young people trained in the camps of terrorist groups. He said that nowadays the young people are victims.
Nuriia Karakulova said that the world is facing a global extremism and Kyrgyzstan is not exception. She highlighted free impact areas of young people engaged in extremism in Central Asia. She informed about the programs which tackle the extremism carried out in Kyrgyzstan.
Abou El Mahassine Fassi-Fihri emphasized that his organization’s mission lay down on the four pillars, namely prevention, engagement, partnership with government and alternative narrative which is being carried out successfully.
Vugar Allahverdiyev informed the audience about the UN resolutions and UN Secretary General’s recommendations on the tackling against violent extremism and emphasized that taking into consideration that majority of the young people is peace builders, it is possible work with them.
