US to host summit on countering violent extremism next month

The White House today said it will host a summit next month on violent extremism focussing on global efforts to check radicalisation of individuals and groups in the US and abroad, amid a recent spurt in deadly terror attacks.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the summit on February 18 will highlight efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalising, recruiting, or inspiring people in the US and abroad to commit acts of violence.
Earnest said the summit will be held in the light of recent, tragic attacks -- in Ottawa, Sydney and Paris -- and will build on the strategy the White House released in August 2011.

The strategy, empowering local partners to prevent violent extremism in the US, was the first national strategy to prevent violent extremism domestically.
A total of 17 people were killed in France in three days of terror attacks, which began on Wednesday with an assault on a satirist magazine by two extremists in Paris.
Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) efforts rely heavily on well-informed and resilient local communities, Earnest noted.

He said Boston, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis-St Paul have taken the lead in building pilot frameworks integrating a range of social service providers, including education administrators, mental health professionals, and religious leaders, with law enforcement agencies to address violent extremism as part of the broader mandate of community safety and crime prevention.

The summit will focus on best practices and emerging efforts from these communities.
"At the same time, our partners around the world are actively implementing programs to prevent violent extremism and foreign terrorist fighter recruitment," Earnest said.
He said: "The summit will include representatives from a number of partner nations, focusing on the themes of community engagement, religious leader engagement, and the role of the private sector and tech community."
"Through presentations, panel discussions, and small group interactions, participants will build on local, state, and federal government; community; and international efforts to better understand, identify, and prevent the cycle of radicalisation to violence at home in the United States and abroad," he said.