ICAN, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Norway, Sweden, and Canada, the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (UKFCDO), the Ministry of Gender, Child and Welfare of South Sudan, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), and the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI), convened a 1.5-day workshop to discuss how to strengthen community security as a localized, transformative approach for sustainable peace.
ICAN and WASL in Euro-Mediterranean meeting on role of women and youth in preventing violent extremism
Reporting by Melinda Holmes
On July 18th and 19th, Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) member Amel Grami, Tunisian professor and specialist in gender, religion and security, and Melinda Holmes, ICAN’s Senior Advisor and Program Manager for WASL, participated in an expert meeting convened in Barcelona, Spain by UNDP, UN Women and the Union for the Mediterranean.
Over the two days representatives from international organizations and civil society discussed the gendered dynamics of violent extremism. While panelist presentations focused on understanding the increasingly visible phenomenon of women’s radicalization in the region, participants agreed that the role of women in preventing and responding to extremist violence is important and should not be limited to working with women. In fact, women are leading on approaches to addressing rehabilitation and reintegration of former fighters and their families, along with responding to the specific needs of victims of sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by extremist groups. Reflecting on the reaction of Tunisians to the challenge of returning foreign fighters, Amel Grami remarked that “how we deal with returnees reveals something important that we need to know about ourselves and our societies, it is a test of our resilience and whether we are able to live our professed values”.
The meeting aimed to produce recommendations for further collaboration in the region among governments, and between multilateral organizations and civil society, including researchers and peacebuilding practitioners. The discussion revealed that returning fighters, migration and the backlash against pluralism should be taken on as critical issues that unite this region spanning North Africa and Europe and are closely linked to violent extremism. Participants highlighted how rising anti-immigrant sentiment and Islamophobia are fueling public discourse across Europe in ways that parallel the exclusionary rhetoric of so-called Islamist extremists and have led to a rise in xenophobic or right-wing extremist violence and hate crimes. The security and humanitarian challenge posed by the prevalence of human trafficking and associated emboldening of transnational criminal networks is also shared and should be addressed regionally.
Women-led and youth-led organizations are already engaged in efforts to create a positive alternative vision for society that fill the void of hope and dignity left across the region in the wake of the Arab revolutions and economic austerity in Europe. It was clear from these two days of exchange that in addition to preserving the safe civic space for them to operate, the challenge is for international multilateral and non-governmental organizations to learn how to identify and support women and youth-led organizations without co-opting their work or watering down their agendas. Elevating the work of independent women peace practitioners and activists in the region by engaging existing networks such as WASL is an important way to access the indigenous, gendered knowledge and expertise participants agreed is vital to preventing violent extremism across the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Related Posts
ICAN, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Norway, Sweden, and Canada, the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (UKFCDO), the Ministry of Gender, Child and Welfare of South Sudan, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), and the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI), convened a 1.5-day workshop to discuss how to strengthen community security as a localized, transformative approach for sustainable peace.
Allamin Foundation AWAPSA AWAW CIASE CoACT Exclude from RSS GEN Myanmar ICAN Featured ICAN Updates Mobaderoon PAIMAN PCID Policy Advocacy Women's Alliance for Security LeadershipOn November 22, 2023, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)—in partnership with Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), and Karama hosted a high-level dialogue to reimagine partnerships and coordination between women peacebuilders, international mediation, humanitarian, and development actors in crises and conflict settings.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN UpdatesWe are excited to announce the launch of the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Mellon Liaison Fellowship at ICAN. Organized by the UMass-Amherst World Studies Interdisciplinary Project (WSIP), and funded by the Mellon Foundation and the UMass-Amherst Provost’s Office, ICAN will host two distinguished UMass PhD Mellon Liaison Fellows in 2023. The Fellowship is linked to the WSIP Graduate Certificate in Decolonial Global Studies (DGS), though UMass PhD students from all departments, colleges, and schools were invited to apply. We are thrilled to introduce the two 2023 UMass Mellon Liaison Fellows: Mariam Parvez Sheikh and Meenakshi Nair.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN UpdatesOn June 21 and June 29, 2023, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) hosted a Risk Appetite Hackathon. This high-level, policy-based and hybrid event, brought together over 300+ partners, including Canadian and local grassroots organizations from around the world, as well as various think tanks and like-minded donors.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN UpdatesOn 21st June 2023, the European Union (EU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), jointly organised a side event, “Promoting PVE through Fostering Peace, Resilience, Equality, and Pluralism (PREP) in collaboration with Community-based Actors”, during the 3rd UN Counter-Terrorism Week.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN UpdatesWe are excited to release our 2022 Annual Report. Highlights include: findings of a 4-year independent evaluation; expansion of She Builds Peace to 32 countries; grants to women-led peacebuilding organizations in 19 countries.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN UpdatesOn May 20, 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed the Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements agreement in Jeddah. Guaranteeing gender responsive humanitarian aid and protection for Sudanese women, men, girls, and boys is essential. We provide guidance on immediate actions to take.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN Updates Policy AdvocacyICAN is fundraising to support the urgent humanitarian needs of its partners in the earthquake-affected region and the communities they serve. We are raising funds to help them with safe shelter, blankets, food, water and medicine, especially in hard-to-reach areas. Please donate if you can.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN Latest ICAN UpdatesWe are delighted to release our new video “Reclaiming Power, Restoring Peace”, which gives a glimpse into the words, work, and unique nature of WASL.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN Latest VideosICAN’s Senior Program Officer, Stacey Schamber, and WASL member and Executive Director of WEDOL, Rosaline Cassell, spoke about the far-reaching impacts of the She Builds Peace campaign in Liberia. WEDOL launched She Builds Peace with a parade and panel discussion in Margibi County, attracting over 300 participants, including the police and local authorities. The event garnered public recognition for Liberian women peacebuilders and opened dialogue about how they can be supported and protected. On the back of the launch, WEDOL also established a “village savings and loan association” (VSLA) for women peacebuilders. Through the association, the members have taken the lead in resolving community-level conflicts; they are working with local chiefs and gaining visibility and legitimacy for their roles.
Exclude from RSS ICAN Featured ICAN Latest Stories WEDOLICAN's Senior Program Officer, Stacey Schamber, and WASL member and President of PCID, Amina Rasul, in conversation about the She Talks Peace podcast, part of the global She Builds Peace campaign.
ICAN Featured ICAN Latest PCID StoriesEnsuring women are properly equipped with knowledge to counter and prevent extremist ideology can contribute to promoting peaceful coexistence within communities now, as well as for future generations. From 11-12 October, UNDP and ICAN held a two-day workshop on gender responsive approaches to transforming extremisms in Erbil, Iraq.
Exclude from RSS G&E other resources Gender and Extremisms ICAN Featured ICAN Latest ICAN Updates