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 the Mission to Moldova, 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.
This workshop for the Black Sea region brought together a group of 14 young men and women from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, and the Russian Federation. Participants included youth who are involved in preventing VERLT or active in relevant areas, such as intolerance, xenophobia, hate speech, hate crimes, marginalization, disenfranchisement, gangs, or hooliganism. They shared their experience and collectively formulated recommendations for policy makers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
