Secretariat - Action against Terrorism Unit

Violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT) is of serious concern to OSCE participating States. Both national authorities and international and regional organizations increasingly recognize that a better understanding of the dynamics and mechanics of Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism is central to formulate and implement effective strategies to combat terrorism.

The OSCE has included the topic of VERLT in its counter terrorism agenda, and offers an acquis of knowledge on the issue and a reputable network of experts with both theoretical and operational skills.

Within the OSCE, the topic of VERLT has received increasing political attention. Since 2004 the OSCE has actively worked on countering incitement to terrorism, including through the Internet. Furthermore, a workshop on Preventing Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism was held in Vienna on 24 October 2008, funded by the United Kingdom and organized by the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit (ATU).

The workshop highlighted that the OSCE clearly has assets that make it a relevant and useful platform to address violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. The need to respect the rule of law and human rights, to promote cross-cultural dialogue, to share and exchange information and best practices, to involve local communities, to focus on youth, women and the media and Internet was also underlined.

Acknowledging the need to address VERLT, the OSCE participating States have adopted two Ministerial Council documents.

The Ministerial Statement on Supporting the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (MC.DOC/3/07) states: "The OSCE will continue its activities in countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. Intolerance and discrimination must be addressed and countered by the OSCE's participating States and OSCE's executive structures within their respective mandates. The Permanent Council, with the support of the Secretariat and institutions, will consider in 2008 how the OSCE, with a multidimensional approach, could contribute to the development of a better understanding of the phenomena of violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism, through sharing of national experiences."

MC Decision 10/08 on Further Promoting the OSCE's Action in Countering Terrorism "calls upon the OSCE participating States to make use of the OSCE executive structures in countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism in their respective countries. To this end, participating States are encouraged to continue to exchange ideas and national best practices about their strategies and measures to counter violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism as well as to enhance their co-operation with media, the business community, industry and civil society".

In support of participating States' efforts in this area, the ATU is ready to organize - upon request - sub-regional and national workshops to raise local awareness of the threat, identify priority areas for involvement of public-private partnerships, and share experiences on measures that appear to be effective in countering the spread of radicalization. Topics could involve radicalization awareness trainings for counter-terrorism practitioners, other government officials as well as relevant civil society stakeholders. Expert roundtables on specific target groups, such as youth, women and prison populations could focusing on specific vulnerability factors, messages being disseminated and media used to reach out to the target groups.

Activities already carried out by the ATU on countering VERLT include:

• An OSCE-wide Expert Workshop on Preventing Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, held on 24 October 2008 in Vienna;
• An OSCE Chairmanship Conference on Successful Strategies, Effective Policies and Best Practices to Prevent Terrorism, held on 14-15 October 2010 in Astana;
• A Central Asian Regional Seminar on Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, organized jointly with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Government of Uzbekistan on 9-10 December 2010 in Tashkent;
• A Public-Private Expert Workshop for South Eastern Europe on Suppressing Terrorist Financing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, held on 8-10 December 2010 in Sarajevo.
• A National Workshop on Community Policing Tools to Counter Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, held on 4-5 October  2011 in Bishkek, in co-operation with the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Ministry of the Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic;
• A country visit to Tajikistan on 29 November-2 December 2011, in co-operation with the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, to promote the non-governmental initiative Sisters Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) and discuss with local stakeholders from government and civil society ways to empower women in Tajikistan to contribute to broader efforts to prevent VERLT;
• A joint Expert Roundtable with ODIHR on Preventing Women Terrorist Radicalization, held on 12 December 2011 in Vienna;
• A joint Expert Roundtable with ODIHR on Preventing Preventing Terrorism and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism: a Community Policing Approach, held on 26-27 January 2012 in Warsaw;
• A joint Expert Roundtable with the Secrertariat's Gender Section and ODIHR on the Role and Empowerment of Women in Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, held on 12-13 March 2012 in Vienna;
• A National Seminar for Montenegro on Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism and the Use of Community Policing, on 11-12 April 2012 in Budva, in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Montenegro;
• A National Seminar for Kyrgyzstan on Conceptulalizing Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism and Developing an Effective Approach to Countering the Threat of VERLT, held on 28-29 May 2012 in Bishkek, in co-operation with the OSCE Centre in Bishkek;
• A National Seminar for Kazakhstan on Community Policing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, held on 11-12 October 2010 in Astana, in co-operation with the OSCE Centre in Astana;
• A joint Expert Roundtable with ODIHR on Youth Engagement in Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, held on 23-24 October 2012 in Vienna;
• A National Seminar for the Southern Provinces of Kyrgyzstan on Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, held on 28-29 November 2012 in Osh, in co-operation with the OSCE Centre in Bishkek;
• A National Seminar on Women and Terrorist Radicalization, held on 18-19 June 2013 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in co-operation with the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

The ATU plans to organize in 2013 additional national seminars on countering VERLT for interested participating States.

The ATU is also implementing throughout 2012-2013 a joint project with ODIHR and the OSCE Secretariat's Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU) to develop a Guidebook on "Preventing Terrorism and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism: a Community Policing Approach". The elaboration of the guidebook draws notably on an online discussion forum under the OSCE Policing Online Information System.

For more information, please contact the ATU directly.