EU, Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) and civil society: some considerations on the IcSP in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Pierobon C. EU, Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) and civil society: some considerations on the IcSP in Kyrgyzstan. Brussels: European Neighbourhood Council (ENC); 2021.- Five main forms of engagement in PVE characterise civil society organizations (CSOs) receiving EU funding under the "Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace" (IcSP) and its programme "Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism" (STRIVE) in Kyrgyzstan. These forms include: (1) Development and delivery of training programmes for awareness-raising and capacity building; (2) Establishment of mechanisms for dialogue, consultation and advocacy at the local, national and international levels; (3) Research and research capacity-building; (4) Production of counternarratives and alternative narratives; (5) Sub-granting of smaller-scale and/or community-level projects. - Overall, three types of activities are conducted by internationally funded CSOs in the PVE field: PVE-specific, PVE-related and PVE-relevant. PVE-specific activities include efforts directly targeting individuals involved in deradicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration processes. PVE-related activities are aimed at strengthening the resilience of individuals and communities through their socioeconomic empowerment. PVE-relevant activities are focused on systemic reform. - A prevalence of PVE-related and PVE-relevant activities emerge from the projects carried out under the IcSP and STRIVE in Kyrgyzstan with EU-funded CSOs prioritising development over security in the implementation of their initiatives on the ground. - Forms of ownership on behalf of EU-funded CSOs under IcSP and STRIVE are accompanied by processes of reappropriation that are reinforced by the ambiguity typical of the international PVE agenda and might contribute to the perpetuation of inappropriate development interventions. - PVE-specific engagement should be expanded through projects aimed at deradicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration with an emphasis on individualized gender-and age-specific social and psychological support, especially in the case of child returnees. PVE-related and PVE-relevant activities should be focused less on violent extremism (VE) and more on development priorities identified by local communities, by engaging them in articulating their visions of a "good life". - A new pilot capacity-building programme addressed to young people as agents of peace could be launched. In particular, financial assistance could be provided to implement youth-led community initiatives tackling root causes of conflict related to climate, water and environmental security