WHY TO DESIGN AN ACTION PLAN?
The policies and measures adopted so far by the Euro-Mediterranean countries in their fight against terrorism, based on a strictly security approach, have not only not alleviated, but worsened violent extremism. Therefore, we believe that civil society organizations committed to the promotion of human rights and the strengthening of a positive peace must have a regional and transnational agreement with a dual objective: (1) To integrate the prevention of violent extremism in our task as agents of peace-building and democratic transformation. (2) Challenging the current dominant paradigm of combating violent extremism by offering an alternative to deal with this scourge based on the values of civil society: tolerance, full respect for human rights and the construction of more open, pluralistic, democratic and equitable societies.
WHAT DOES THE ACTION PLAN CONTENT?
The organizers of the structure of this conference proposed an Action Plan divided into five sections:
– A first part consisting of an introduction on the purpose of such an Action Plan and the importance of civil society in the prevention of violent extremism
– A second part emphasizing the need to adopt a common definition of terms such as “violent radicalization”, “violent extremism” and “terrorism”. One critique that was made towards the United Nations Plan of Action was the lack of definitions and distinctions between these terms, that can favour an amalgam of concepts
– A third part focused on the definition of the causes and vectors of violent extremism. This section is essential in deepening the causes of violent radicalization in order to give a preventive response and tackle the context and inequalities that allow the emergence of such a phenomenon.
– A fourth section on the current impact of violent extremism in the Euro-Mediterranean region in terms of peace and security, sustainable development, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
– A fifth and last part containing a programme of action proposed by civil society organizations. The purpose of this block is not only to provide a proposal in terms of impact on the public policies deployed so far by our governments, but also to create a positive agenda on possible contributions that civil society can make in various sectors (good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law, gender justice, youth and education, community resilience and the role of the media). Finally, we want to include a proposal to create the Observatory to Prevent Extremism Violent (OPEV) in order to articulate the platform of entities that signed the Action Plan for its effective implementation.
If you wish to download the proposed Action Plan to be debated and amended on the 28th and 29th of January, click here.
HOW WILL IT BE DONE?
The development and adoption of the Action Plan will be carried out through a consultative and participatory process with the attending organizations on the 28th and 29th of January (Francesca Bonnemaison, Carrer Sant Pere Més Baix, 7). The conference’s lead group of 15 organizations from the three main regions of the area (North Africa, Middle East and Europe) have completed a first draft of the document, which will be modified to incorporate the conclusions of the discussions to be held on the 28th of January. On Sunday the 29th, there will be a session open only to civil society organizations to discuss and validate the Action Plan in order to combine transparency and efficiency in the deliberation process. The main strength of this plan must be based on the participation of all the signatory entities in its drafting, as well as the accession of more than 100 organizations working on peacebuilding and the promotion of human rights in the The Euro-Mediterranean region.
