The White House is hosting a three-day summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) this week. The event aims to unite local, federal, and international leaders, including President Obama and foreign ministers, to discuss community-based strategies for countering extremist ideologies that incite violence.
The summit addresses threats from various groups and individuals, such as domestic terrorists and homegrown violent extremists in the United States, as well as organizations like al-Qaeda and ISIL. The focus of CVE efforts is on addressing extremism's root causes through community engagement programs that build awareness, counter extremist narratives, and emphasize community-led intervention.
This summit marks the beginning of a series of events leading up to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. These events aim to develop actions against immediate threats like ISIL and prevent the spread of violent extremism.
CVE is also integral to the U.S. Government’s strategy against foreign terrorist fighters. There has been an unprecedented flow of over 20,000 foreign fighters from more than 90 nations traveling to Syria since the conflict began, including at least 3,400 from Western countries. In response, the Department of State is hosting an Information Sharing Ministerial alongside the Summit to discuss steps for disrupting foreign terrorist fighter travel.
Next week, the United States will host a workshop by the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group titled “Raising Community Awareness to Address the Foreign Terrorist Fighter Phenomenon.”
Efforts are underway to counter ISIL narratives through social media with partnerships between governments, civil society, and private sectors aiming to weaken extremist messaging's legitimacy. The Summit seeks concrete methods to enhance current initiatives targeting online extremist messages.
The U.S. collaborates with religious leaders globally on projects promoting peace and tolerance while training them for outreach with at-risk youth. The Summit will also examine how civil society can become more active in building local partnerships against violent extremism.
Youth engagement remains crucial; thus, the United States provides training, mentorships, and seed funding for young leaders who work on countering extremist narratives and promoting non-violent dispute resolution.