Youth and the Prevention of Violent Extremism: Workshop on Perspectives from Central Asia

Austria, which holds the OSCE Chairmanship in 2017, has identified youth and the prevention of violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT) as one of its key priorities. In this context, Austria convenes this year, with the support of OSCE executive structures and field operations, a series of sub-regional workshops on youth and preventing violent extremism for the Black Sea region, the Western Balkans and Central Asia. As part of the series, the first two events were held in 2016 by Austria for youth from North Africa and Western Europe. 
 
The workshop for Central Asia region will bring together a group of 15 young men and women involved in preventing VERLT or active in combating similar challenges, such as intolerance, xenophobia, hate speech, hate crimes, marginalization, disenfranchisement, gangs, or hooliganism, to share their experience and collectively formulate recommendations for policy makers. 
 
This event is held under the umbrella of the “OSCE United in Countering Violent Extremism (#UnitedCVE)” campaign and will provide a platform for youth to brainstorm and share their experience and perceptions of the threat of VERLT. They will get an opportunity to discuss and review the work done, as well as formulate recommendations for policy-makers which will be shared with the OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation at a 2017 OSCE-wide counter-terrorism conference to be held in Vienna on 23-24 May 2017.

Recommendations from Youth

This is the summary of the most important recommendations that the workshop participants from Western Europe, the Black Sea region, the Western Balkans and Central Asia identified from their experience on preventing violent extremism.

• Recommendations from the Black Sea Region’s Youth on Preventing Violent Extremism

  On 1-3 February 2017, Austrian OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office brought together in Chisinau a group of youth from the Black Sea region to discuss the prevention of violent extremism. This is a summary of the most important recommendations that the group identified from their experience, and will present to the OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation at a 2017 OSCE-wide counter-terrorism conference to be held in Vienna on 23-24 May 2017.

  

• Recommendations from Western European Youth on Preventing Violent Extremism

  On 4 October 2016, Austria, as Chair of the OSCE Mediterranean Contact Group and incoming OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office, brought together in Vienna a group of youth from Western Europe to discuss the prevention of violent extremism. This is a summary of the most important recommendations that the group identified from their experience, and entrusted one of them to share with OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation during the 2016 OSCE Mediterranean Conference that took place on 5-6 October 2016 in Vienna.

  

• Recommendations from Western Balkan Youth on Preventing Violent Extremism

  On 23-25 April 2017, Austrian OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office brought together in Sarajevo a group of youth from the Western Balkan region to discuss the prevention of violent extremism. This is a summary of the most important recommendations that the group identified from their experience, and will present to the OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation at the 2017 OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Conference to be held in Vienna on 23-24 May 2017.

  

• Recommendations from Central Asian Youth on Preventing Violent Extremism

  On 11-13 May 2017, Austrian OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office brought together in Almaty a group of youth from the wider Central Asian region to discuss the prevention of violent extremism. This is a summary of the most important recommendations that the group identified from their experience, and will present to the OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation at the 2017 OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Conference to be held in Vienna on 23-24 May 2017.