Preventing violent extremism

In Europe and Central Asia, the rise of violent extremism and its spread across national borders continues to be a source of concern across the region, threatening to reverse the development gains made over the past thirty years. Violent extremist ideology and approaches continuously evolve, exemplified by the current rise of ethno-nationalism in Europe and the expanding use of both online and offline spaces to spread violent extremist narratives and recruit. Furthermore, as foreign fighters return to parts of Europe and Central Asia, reintegration and rehabilitation pose unseen challenges for policy and practice.

UNDP supports development solutions that rely on a “do no harm” approach, which target the root causes and structural drivers of violent extremism, prevent the stigmatization of groups and communities, and address the horizontal inequalities that fuel radicalisation, which can lead to violent extremism. Through mobilising and capacitating long-term development partners at regional, national and local levels, UNDP activates decades of development experience in the efforts to prevent violent extremism.