Jakarta, 2 October 2020 - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), and the European Union (EU) today held the first Project Partners Meeting of the PROTECT Project phase II, which aims to bolster policies to prevent violent extremist movements in Indonesia and in South-East Asia.

The second phase of the PROTECT (Preventing Violent Extremism through Promoting Tolerance and Respect for Diversity) project will work in three main areas; Strengthening policy assistance in order to develop, coordinate and implement the National Action Plan on P/CVE; Developing a national network, including data analysis for stakeholders on the prevention of violent extremism and radicalization in Indonesia; and Strengthening capacities and resilience of P/CVE actors towards extremist narratives and radicalization processes.

UNDP will continue working in partnership with the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Kemenko PMK), the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Kemenko Polhukam), and the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) as well as civil society groups, academia, research institutions, youth, women’s organizations, religious-based organizations, and online media.

The Deputy for International Cooperation of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), Andhika Chrisnayudanto welcomed the second phase of the project.

“We welcome the second phase of the PROTECT Project which started in May 2020. In this regard, we believe that outputs and activities planned on the PROTECT Project Phase II is in line with the Government's priorities in preventing and countering VE, including by supporting and strengthening the development of evidence-based information, and also promoting peace and tolerance in the multi-ethnic Indonesia,” he said.

He also expressed his highest appreciation to the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs and the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, who have worked together with BNPT and UNDP in implementing PROTECT Project since the program launched officially on March 2019.

“Prevention is a key concept in the fight against violent extremism which requests a dynamic, coherent and multi-dimensional response from the entire (international) community and this through constant dialogue to better communicate our common values and norms. Cooperation and coordination are top priorities. The Project is part of EU’s efforts in South-east Asia to promote a more tolerant world” said Marc Alphonse Vierstraete-Verlinde, EU Counter-Terrorism/Security-Expert to South-east Asia.

“At times when the social and economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic places additional hardships on the most vulnerable segments of society, the preventative and developmental approaches pursued under the “PROTECT” project could not be timelier. The government of Indonesia has been one of the driving forces in promoting comprehensive, inter-disciplinary approaches to address the threat posed by violent extremism, and UNOCT is proud to join its UNDP and European Union partners in supporting their efforts through the second iteration of this flagship initiative,” said Hernan Longo, Regional Programme Coordination Officer, UNOCT.

“Violent Extremism threatens peace and prosperity. Not only can it destroy the fabric of society, but it can also push women and children in disadvantaged regions further into poverty. As we have seen in recent years in many regions, South East Asia, including Indonesia, is not immune to that threat, and this second phase of the PROTECT project will support the national effort and response to counter the threat and prevent violent extremism in the country. These efforts also take into consideration the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social economy and security of the country,” said Sophie Kemkhadze, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative.

PROTECT will also collaborate with UNDP’s other projects on violent extremism, CONVEY and GUYUB, which emphasize promoting tolerance through religious education and empowerment of women and youth.

The second phase of the PROTECT project is also taking place in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines in partnership with UNOCT.

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MEDIA CONTACT

UNDP Indonesia, National Project Manager of PROTECT Project, Iwan Misthohizzaman, misthohizzaman@undp.org UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto, suryo.tomi@undp.org