Journey to Extremism: drivers, incentives and the tipping point for recruitment
On 25 October, the Platform and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host an evening at De Balie in Amsterdam on the "Journey to Extremism: drivers, incentives and the tipping point for recruitment".
Between 2011 and early 2016,33.300 people in Africa lost their lives to violent extremism. Millions have seen their livelihoods affected through loss of a breadwinner. The human suffering stunts prospects of development for decades to come. Just as violent extremism stunts prospects for development, so the search for solutions must also place development approaches at its centre.
Therefore, the 2015 United Nations Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism urges the global community of states to pay closer attention to the root causes and drivers of violent extremism, after decades of overconcentration on militarized approaches.
In order to build an evidence base for effective development measures against violent extremism, UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa has interviewed an unprecedented number of former recruits from Boko Haram, Al Shabaab and IS about their motivations to join the terrorists. 718 individuals from Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Cameroon and Niger allowed UNDP to construct a roadmap in the journey to extremism.
On Wednesday 25th of October 2017, UNDP presents its conclusions in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law. UNDP’s Regional Program Manager Mohamed Yaya will discuss policy pathways in a discussion with Security Policy Director Hester Somsen and Somali prevention expert Ilwan Elhad A glimpse of UNDP’s photo-expedition ‘Survivors’ will be provided afterwards with Ahmed Hadji from the Uganda Youth Development Forum, who will share his personal stories as survivor of an attack.
Please also see http://journey-to-extremism.undp.org/ and http://survivors-of-extremism.undp.org/en