“Rehabilitation and reintegration are critical to international efforts to prevent violent extremism”. This was the key message addressed by all the panelists present at The Global Conference on Violent Extremism, which was held in Tirana this week.

Rehabilitation and Reintegration to Prevent Violent Extremism

The high-level conference was attended by representatives from different countries of the world. There was close cooperation between The Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism (the CVE Cventer), The Ministry of Interior, The Albanian Government, The European Union, and The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

The main focus of the Global Conference Against Violent Extremis was on the need to rehabilitate and reintegrate returnees from conflicts abroad, including their families.

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Bledar Çuçi, highlighted the importance of international cooperation in preventing radicalization.

The Minister mentioned the 4th repatriation of returnees from conflict areas in Syria and Iraq, which was successfully finalized a few weeks ago. He mentioned that this work will continue while highlighting the fact that the reintegration of these citizens is done according to a process already consolidated near a specialized structure called “Reception Center”.

“Using a comprehensive government approach allows us to say clearly that from the very beginning the Ministry of Interior and The Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism, marked a successful result and have harmonized their action and coordination for future rehabilitation and reintegration processes.”, said Minister Çuçi.

He further noted the fact that Albania with The CVE Center, is considered a role model in countering radicalization and violent extremism.

The Chair of the GCERF Governing Board, Mr. Stefano Manservisi, said governments must learn from the experiences of countries engaging in the complex process of reintegrating citizens from warzones in Syria and Iraq.

Further, the Director of the Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism (the CVE Center), Mrs. Lejdi Dervishi said:

“From the moment that Albania joined the Global War against Terrorism and Violent Extremism, we have taken our role and challenges very seriously. Firstly, by improving our legislative assembly, implementing a comprehensive national CVE Strategy to fight terrorism and violent extremism, and finally by carrying out a delicate and challenging repatriation process of Albanian citizens from the conflict war zones in Syria and Iraq. It is our continuous commitment to provide a secure environment for all citizens despite their beliefs. Cooperation and joint intervention are pivotal to face a phenomenon without any borders.”

The European Union welcomed GCERF’s and Albanian’s work on preventing violent extremism in the region.

“The EU has always been a strong supporter of GCERF and we welcome GCERF’s work in the Western Balkans region,” Mr. Maciej Popowski said.

The conference discussed the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for effective rehabilitation and reintegration in the Western Balkans, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia.