Despite billions of dollars spent on armed responses to terrorism over the past two decades, the world is not a safer place. Today’s global environment is more conducive to violent extremism than at any point since the Arab Spring. The risk today is more diverse, disseminated, and disparate. Now is the time to double down on our investments in resilience, to protect our future from violent extremism.
WITH A NEW INVESTMENT OF USD 80 MILLION OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, GCERF WILL:
RESILIENCE AT RISK
Over the past decade, GCERF’s investment in prevention efforts has provided better alternatives for nearly 4 million young people at direct risk of radicalisation and strengthened the resilience of vulnerable communities against the force of violent extremist ideologies. However, the resilience we are building is increasingly at risk.
Within the communities we support, there is a growing sense of abandonment, for example in the Sahel, and an increased sense of injustice, especially over Gaza. In Tunisia, for example, there has been a sharp increase in violent behaviour in schools. Climate change is also impacting livelihoods far more quickly than predicted. And in many cases social and economic disparities persist and are widening. Now is the time to increase the investment in resilience to preserve the progress made in reducing the global impact of terrorism and violent extremism and guard against future risks.
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My brother left to join al-Shabaab five years ago. The family was in shock. I could not just sit around. With a GCERF grant I started an organisation that educates women like me about how to engage with their family members and talk about the dangers of joining terrorist groups. My organisation helps women regain their voice in their families and speak out against the dangers of violent extremism but also to recognise early signs of radicalisation. When my brother learned what I was doing,
he got in touch with the elders in
our village. He managed to escape.
He has repented. Today, he is one of our biggest advocates. Men and women, we work together for peace
in Somalia.
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When I came back to Anbar from AL Hawl (a camp in Northeast Syria for former IS affiliates), I was depressed and full of anxiety. I did not think my extended family would accept me back. But I knew it was the right thing to do to return to Iraq. A local NGO launched a trauma-healing support programme for us. I was with 27 other returnee women who had similar issues. After spending several days together and being helped with various methods to overcome my fears, I feel so much more confident to speak about my trauma with my family. I am grateful to the NGO for equipping me with self-confidence.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
As our Case for Investment makes clear, GCERF’s return on investment is remarkable. Over the past decade, GCERF has invested around USD 160 million to impact around 4 million people at direct risk of radicalisation and recruitment, representing an average of about USD 40 per person at risk. GCERF has gone beyond theory to demonstrate how PVE works and is a far more cost-effective means of confronting violent extremism than reactive security responses. Since 2019, the number of GCERF partner countries has tripled and the number of direct beneficiaries doubled, while our budget has increased by only 30%, and operating expenses have consistently remained below 15%.
As the only multilateral pooled fund dedicated to preventing violent extremism, we have developed a unique model of investment centered on localisation. We provide grants to civil society organisations, co-design projects with them to ensure relevance to the local context, and encourage their active participation in the national policy planning processes. We are also increasingly promoting local expertise in monitoring and evaluation. Our multi-level, multi-layered monitoring and evaluation system that tracks global, national/regional, and grant level results provides continuous feedback on programme effectiveness, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring that objectives are consistently achieved.
Across 25 countries and thousands of communities, GCERF’s investments illustrate the potential for a more peaceful future when the right resources are mobilised. A fully funded GCERF, with an investment of USD 80 million, will continue to demonstrate a strong return on investment by strengthening community resilience against extremism, and funding peace, security, and development initiatives in communities at risk, in countries where violent extremism is a constant threat or could take root and spread.
INVEST IN RESILIENCE
GCERF is the world-leader in building community resilience against violent extremism, but sustaining resilience requires a consolidated effort. A further investment of USD 80 million to 100 million will scale up the impact of prevention efforts as outlined in the case for investment.
By investing in GCERF, you are contributing directly to crisis prevention, stabilisation, and peacebuilding, and supporting grassroots initiatives that lay the foundations for lasting peace.
TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR FIRST REPLENISHMENT (2021-24)
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For nearly a decade now, GCERF has fought violent extremism by preventing it from happening in the first place. GCERF's approach is grounded in local understanding and local capacity. That’s because GCERF has long recognised that the most effective solutions are often found within affected communities — in parents and teachers, faith and community leaders, friends. We are providing more support to vulnerable communities and of course we are continuing to support GCERF.
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Preventing violent extremism is certainly a priority for the European Union. European Union for years has been investing heavily in combating violent extremism and we need multilateral efforts to do so in an efficient way. GCERF with a whole of society approach is very important and does a great work in supporting the hard to reach vulnerable communities.
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It is indispensable to address the root causes of violent extremism. Germany remains committed to continue the efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism. GCERF constitutes the cornerstone of this engagement. Germany fully subscribes to GCERF's vision to create a world for the next generation where violent extremism has no place either in politics nor in the society.