UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres will participate with a video message, the Director of the UN Counter Terrorism Office, Jehangir Khan will be present. Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Gilles de Kerchove, EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator, and Stefano Manservisi, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development, will bring to the table the European perspective.
Click here to read the preliminary agenda
The debate will also be enriched with the participation of the Spanish Secretary of State of International Cooperation, Ibero-america and the Caribbean, Fernando García Casas. The conference, to be held in the margins of the high level segment of the 72nd UN General Assembly, will inform the security and development agenda and is aimed at mobilising political will for the implementation of Goal 16 and its implications for the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE). Inclusion is an essential element of sustainable peace, but there is still a dire need to improve understanding of how domestic and regional development processes interact with security efforts to prevent radicalisation.
An audience of 100 participants will participate in sessions led by World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA – CdM) Members from different regions and countries acutely exposed to security challenges and other high level practitioners and experts. Elisabeth Guigou, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Manal Benani, Young Mediterranean Voices Ambassador and Arizza Nocum, youth representative from Extremely Together, an EU-funded initiative lead by former UNSG Kofi Annan, will be among the participants.
The debate will start with an overview of the situation at the global level, the initiatives being undertaken and the main challenges encountered. Two sessions will be dedicated to identifying innovative recommendations for an inclusive approach to PVE. The first will focus on the development of alternative narratives on inclusion and how they can support the values and the implementation of the Agenda 2030 sharing the lessons learned from ongoing EU funded initiatives such as the programme “Leaders Telling a Different Story” implemented by WLA – CdM. The second, building on WLA – CdM’s Shared Societies concept, will explore inclusive approaches to socio-economic development as the best means for prevention by addressing the roots of alienation and detachment that might feed radicalization.
The discussion is co-organized by WLA – CdM and the European Commission, with the support of the European Union, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Anna Lindh Foundation.
When: 19th of September / Where: Ace room at the Hotel Westin Grand Central. 212 E 42nd Street, New York.
All media interested in covering the event or asking for interviews with the participants please contact
Luis Pérez: +34 607 694 354 // + 34 91 154 82 38 Press Officer lperez@clubmadrid.org
Ana Pastor: +34 722 484 282 // +34 91 154 82 36 Press & Communications apastor@clubmadrid.org
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization composed of more than 100 former presidents and prime ministers from 69 democratic countries. The Club de Madrid responds to a growing demand for support to address a number of challenges in democratic governance by providing the experience and valuable leadership of its members.
