OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Expert Conference: Countering the Incitement and Recruitment of Foreign Terrorist Fighters

OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation are facing unprecedented numbers of individuals who travel abroad for the purpose of perpetrating, planning, preparing, or participating in terrorist acts, or to provide or receive terrorist training, including in connection with armed conflicts.

The incitement and recruitment of these foreign terrorist fighters is nurtured by violent extremist views, often exploiting religious beliefs and tenets as part of broader narratives built around real or perceived grievances, the spread of which is facilitated by the media, in particular via the Internet and social media. In particular, the growing numbers of foreign terrorist fighters travelling from OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation to Syria and Iraq, is an alarming trend.

With the aim of contributing to further high-level discussions on Countering Violent Extremism at the UN General Assembly in September 2015, Serbia’s Chairmanship is organizing an OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Expert Conference to facilitate an exchange of good practices and lessons learned on countering the incitement and recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters.

Particular attention will be paid to addressing these issues in light of the OSCE’s comprehensive approach across the three dimensions of security.

The themes to be discussed are:

• Trends and Dynamics in the Incitement and Recruitment of Foreign Terrorist Fighters;
• Good Practices and Lessons Learned for Strategic Messaging to Counter Incitement and Recruitment of Foreign Terrorist Fighters;
• Good Practices and Lessons Learned to Empower Young People to Counter Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism (VERLT);
• Good Practices and Lessons Learned to Identify and Engage with Individuals at Risk of Radicalization and Recruitment as foreign terrorist fighters.

The suggested participants for this event are experts and practitioners who can share concrete examples, good practices and lessons.

For further details please contact the OSCE Transnational Threats Department/Action against Terrorism Unit at: atu@osce.org