Press Release: UNDP in partnership with International Alert launch a new toolkit that offers support with preventing violent extremism

Programmes aiming to prevent violent extremism need to be grounded in the context in which they are intervening, be based on evidence and have a realistic monitoring framework, according to a new toolkit published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with International Alert.

By Farah Kobaissy

The realization of women’s rights and gender justice in the Middle East and North Africa is inseparably entwined with conflict resolution and peace building efforts explains Farah Kobaissy.

“No matter where you are, everyone says that now is not the time to talk about these issues. There is no such thing as women’s rights. We are in times of war, there is a massive humanitarian crisis. They say now is not the time.”- Yemeni Activist

Mark Goldring and Harriet Lamb

A new report from Oxfam and International Alert looks at how violent conflict impacts local civil society and how international partners respond. Here Harriet Lamb, CEO of International Alert and Mark Goldring, CEO of Oxfam GB, reflect on the key findings and their implications for future and current partnerships in conflict.

Summary:

Building peace means ensuring better governance and should result in people being safe from harm and having better livelihoods, wellbeing and access to justice. Peacebuilding requires wide support, especially in the current climate of frayed international relations and increasing conflicts (in both number and scale), exemplified by the war in Syria, where hundreds of thousands of people have died and millions are displaced.

The last year has seen significant global challenges, including an unprecedented level of humanitarian need, rising inequality and exclusion, growing climate change impacts, and increasing threats to our shared security. Nevertheless, the international community has taken important steps in addressing these challenges by implementing the recent bold commitments to foster sustainable peace.