iTAGe: State of Preventing Violent Extremism in South Asia

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is pleased to announce the launch of its first iTAGe event, Talking Across Generations on the State of Preventing Violent Extremism in South Asia, organized in collaboration with the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and UNESCO’s New Delhi Cluster Office, within the framework of #YouthWagingPeace: A Whole Community Approach to the Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education.

iTAGe: Talking Across Generations on the State of PVE in South Asia is a youth-driven intergenerational dialogue, which aims to include and amplify youth voices in the prevention of violent extremism, in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The dialogue provides a non-hierarchical platform for young people to interact, discuss and debate critical issues with senior officials of governments and institutions. The event will be preceded by a survey, as well as social media conversations and focus group discussions.

The ultimate objective of the event is to attract a critical mass of youth who are actively engaged in the issues related to the prevention of violent extremism and peace education in South Asia. The input collected from the survey, social media conversations, focus group discussions, and the event itself, will be incorporated into the Youth-led Report on the State of PVE in South Asia as youth-centred actionable recommendations for policymakers. The report will combine latest research on preventative efforts with uncensored youth case studies to produce fresh and robust perspectives for policy makers and a youth-centred overview of violent extremism in South Asia.

Youth who wish to participate in the iTAGe event must:

• be between 18 and 35 years old;
• be nationals from, or currently living in, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan or Sri Lanka;
• and wish to contribute to the advancement of peace education and the inclusion of youth voices in policymaking for the prevention of violent extremism in South Asia.

To be eligible to participate in the iTAGe event, candidates must respond to the State of PVE in South Asia survey before July 5, 2021, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (New York). A total of 30 participants will be selected and invited to participate in a Focus Group Discussions until July 9, 2021. A selected shortlist of 6 participants will be finally invited to participate in the iTAGe event on July 20, 2021 along with senior officials. The working language of the event will be English.

To the extent possible, the selection committee will ensure balance in terms of age, gender, geography, and diversity of backgrounds (cultural, educational, professional) among selected participants. The selection committee will be composed of youth and academic authors of the Youth-led State of PVE Report in South Asia.