Note on the UNESCO Meeting on: Youth@the Crossroads - a future without violent radicalization

<b>Note on the UNESCO Meeting on:</b> Youth@the Crossroads - a future without violent radicalization

Many countries around the world experience a large segment of unemployed youth, lacking education, skills, and prospects. This situation is exacerbated by significant shifts in social variables, such as the breakdown of family structures, migration to overcrowded urban areas, exclusion from opportunities to achieve life goals and a sense of marginalization.

The result is that many young people are left mired in tension and too often conflict - that breeds despair, frustration and fear, aggravated by exposure to violence, whether in daily life, through media or at school. Youth who are caught in these circumstances are vulnerable to manipulation, exploitation and radicalization that may descend into violence by groups and individuals pursuing an intolerant and extreme agenda.

Growing young populations in many countries throughout the world present opportunities and challenges. The energy, creativity and idealism of youth can enrich cultures, drive economic growth, build civil society and promote understanding. Youth today, perhaps even more so than previous generations, are at a crossroads. Communities have shown their power to provide alternatives that satisfy youths’ developmental needs and enable them to grow with opportunities that foster hope, success and citizenship.

UNESCO is well placed to alert States and societal stakeholders - including NGOs, community-based and youth organizations, corporations and foundations, faith-based organizations and the media - to the risks posed by a path towards violent radicalization and to identify community-based programmes constructively engaging youth dissuading it from turning to extremist acts. Such initiatives have often demonstrated a capacity to foster an atmosphere that provides young people with the positive alternatives they deserve.

In many countries, such community-based projects dedicated to children and young people have been launched. Many succeed by engaging the imagination and commitment of young people, by developing and imparting critical thinking skills and ethical reasoning, by enhancing job market possibilities as well as by creating positive social networks and partnerships. These programmes have helped young people to build confidence, develop enhanced skill sets and nurture a sense of belonging, community and values. In this process, the role of education, formal and informal, is crucial. It can help shape attitudes and furnish young people with the skills they need to thrive and live at peace with one another.

To exchange experiences and share ideas and best practices from various communities and countries in this regard, UNESCO will organize a Meeting in June 2008 in Bahrain. Participants will include: non-governmental organizations, foundations, the private sector, local, regional and national governments and youths themselves. The two-day Meeting, which will also include an exhibitor/kiosk “Partners’ Forum”, will include opening and concluding plenary sessions featuring high-profile key speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions to enable active sharing of best practices.

The panels and breakouts shall be devoted to the presentation of community, private sector approaches that have achieved tangible results in meeting youths’ various motivational needs and in de-legitimizing violence and its advocacy. These sessions seek to attract educational solutions, media-driven efforts, physical education and sports and youth-specific community-driven and national projects aimed at building self-identity and practical skills.

The Meeting aims at sensitising policy- and decision-makers (at both community and national levels) about the risks of exploitation for violent radical political, ideological and religious purposes. Its goal is to identify alternatives and opportunities for youth to engage positively in their communities. The Meeting will also seek to increase partnerships between public and private actors. The presentations and discussions at the Meeting will come together in a “Bahrain Message to the World’s Youth”, which is expected to set out a catalogue of best practices, strategies, partnerships and measures to tackle the global challenge of violent radicalization of youth.
The Meeting shall benefit from high visibility through high-profile speakers, modern communication tools, such as videolinks, video clips produced prior to and during the event, webcasting and an Internet-based bulletin board through a dedicated website, associated blogs and feeds into (community) radio stations and other news outlets.