International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism being marked today

Kathmandu, Feb 12: The International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism is being observed across the world today at the call of the United Nations.

On the occasion, the inter-governmental organisations, the civil society, educationists, religious leaders and the media will organise a series of events and activities spreading awareness against extremism and to resist terrorism.

Violent extremism conducive to terrorism poses a serious threat to peace and security and is an affront to humanity – affecting people of all ages, cultures, religions and nationalities, the UN stated. 

The United Nations General Assembly (in its resolution 77/243) declared 12 February the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism (PVE day).

The International PVE Day brings together Member States, the United Nations system and all relevant stakeholders—including civil society, religious leaders, the private sector, academia and the media, to strengthen the international community’s resolve to address the conditions conducive to terrorism, to raise awareness on the threat of violent extremism and renew commitments to collaborate on preventing its spread.

Preventing violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism contributes to the wider peace and security efforts of the United Nations system and its goals to prevent conflict and sustain peace. 

The United Nations designs and delivers targeted capacity-building initiatives to address the underlying conditions and drivers of violent extremism conducive to terrorism at the global, regional, and country levels, with a focus on human rights and gender mainstreaming, and on developing sustainable partnerships in support of PVE coordination.

The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact and its Working Group on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism are essential in providing strategic level guidance to the United Nations work on PCVE, and to promote coordination and coherence in our common efforts to support Member States, with respect for human rights and the rule of law as the fundamental basis, and with an essential focus on gender equality and youth empowerment.

The PVE Day began to be marked since 2016 when UN then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented an action plan to the General Assembly on the prevention of violent extremism. (RSS)