Dhaka, 21 May 2024:

The threats of violent extremism in Bangladesh has subsided significantly since the Holey Artisan bakery attack in 2016 due to the ‘whole of society’ approach of the Government to prevent violent extremism (PVE)’,  the speakers highlighted at a seminar held today (21 May 2024) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The seminar was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Global Community Engagements and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

The seminar titled ‘Prevention of Violent Extremism in Bangladesh: Graduation and Sustainability’ has marked Bangladesh’s graduation from GCERF grant support to self-sustaining PVE approach.

Ambassador Masud Bin Momen, Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary); Dr. Khalid Koser, Executive Director of GCERF; H.E Mr. Antonio Alessandro, Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh spoke at the Opening Session. Ms. Wahida Ahmed, Director General (IO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs made welcome remarks.

Foreign Secretary, in his remarks, said that Bangladesh became one of the GCERF pilot countries almost a decade ago. It was a time when Bangladesh was experiencing a surge in criminal activities targeting writers, publishers, bloggers and others, he added.

It is certainly a critical juncture as GCERF marks its first eventual exit from a pilot country based on its overall assessment of Bangladesh’s successes in PVE- Foreign Secretary observed. He cautioned that there was no place for being complacent and authorities must remain sensitized to the potential sources of risks and challenges. He added that Bangladesh would continue to devise proven and effective means to engage our youth, women, religious and opinion leaders to create guardrails against violent extremism sinking its roots within our communities.

The GCERF Executive Director explained why he felt encouraged to make an exit plan from Bangladesh. The reasons include Bangladesh no longer being among the top 30 countries at risk of violent extremism, her continued promotion of effective community responses to violent extremism, and her reaffirmed strong political commitment to sustain ongoing PVE efforts. He said that the risk of violent extremism is on the rise globally. He commented that external factors such as global injustice and instability often drive radicalization at the regional and national levels.

His Excellency Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh praised Bangladesh’s accomplishments in particular the community based approach to PVE. He said that Bangladesh drew lessons from the Holey Artisan Bakery attack  and aptly translated them into action.

The Panel session hosted distinguished moderator and panelists that included academics, practitioners, experts and govt representatives. They shared their valuable insights on the underlying drivers of radicalization and the sustainable ways and means to address them. Noting the multidimensionality and complexity of the PVE issues, the panelists underscored the importance of adaptive and dynamic engagement approach to prevent violent extremism.  

In the morning, the concluding meeting of the Country Support Mechanism (CSM) under GCERF was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Foreign Secretary at the Chair. Dr. Khalid Koser, GCERF Executive Director was present at the meeting. He said that GCERF governance rules were adjusted so that the Government of Bangladesh would continue to remain a member of GCERF Governing Board after the graduation from GCERF grant.