Morocco, EU Team up to Combat Extremism via Education

Morocco and the EU launched, on Thursday, an initiative to prevent and fight violent extremism leading to terrorism through education. The program was unveiled during the 21st Coordination Committee of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in Cairo.
In a video introducing the initiative, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita emphasized the role of education as a powerful tool that would shield against radicalization and violent extremism, as well as eradicate extremist ideologies that find fertile ground in precarious environments.
Josep Borell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, highlighted that this initiative will contribute to developing more tolerant and resilient societies.
As part of a partnership with the Anti-violent extremism center “Hedayah,” the two-year initiative will provide customized educational programs for educators to strengthen learners’ resilience against violent extremism. The center uses evidence-based, innovative solutions and world-class research to achieve this end.
The program will also establish a set of criteria to assist governments in monitoring and evaluating prevention and counterterrorism policies within the education sector.
It is worth noting that Morocco passed the GCTF (Global Counterterrorism Forum) presidency to Egypt, after holding the position for three consecutive terms.