ETH Workshop: Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE)
The 27th ETH Workshop on Security Policy took place on Friday, 24 June 2016, with about 50 participants from Switzerland and abroad, including many representatives of Swiss cities, cantons, and civil society. A first panel discussed practical examples of how to prevent violent extremism, e.g. through deradicalization programs in German prisons or through the involvement of mothers of jihadists in prevention and disengagement.
A second panel was devoted to the PVE Action Plan of the Swiss Foreign Ministry, published in April 2016, and to opportunities and risks of the global “PVE hype” for Swiss foreign policy and Swiss development aid.
A third panel addressed jihadist radicalization in Switzerland and the phenomenon of European and Swiss “Foreign Terrorist Fighters” and their return. One question was discussed controversially: how could the success of prevention be evaluated? Also, it remained unclear how Swiss schools, communities, and cities might benefit from knowledge which the Swiss Foreign Ministry is currently gaining since PVE has become a priority of Swiss foreign policy.