The Director of The Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE Center), also the National Coordinator for countering violent extremism, Ms. Lady Dervishi, upon invitation from the US Embassy in our country and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), participated in a forum where the results of the study titled “Assessment 2024 – On Violent Extremism in Albania” conducted by IDM with financial support from the US Embassy in Tirana were presented.

The study was presented at a roundtable with representatives and experts from state institutions, civil society, religious communities, media, academia, and international partners. The development and methodology of this study are based on the public perception that IDM gathered through a survey conducted in October 2023, with 1600 surveyed Albanian citizens.

Compared to the findings of 2018 and 2021, there is a more positive perception observed among the surveyed public by IDM in 2023. The current study once again confirms a lower percentage of concern among citizens regarding the phenomenon of radicalization and violent extremism based on ideological, religious, or ethnic grounds.

A notable decrease is particularly evident in negative perceptions of the public regarding drivers of violent extremism such as: radicalizing religious influence; influence of socio-economic issues; influence of ethno-national radicalism.

In her speech, Ms. Dervishi emphasized that the ongoing efforts in recent years by the Albanian state through the coordination of CVE Center have increased public awareness of the phenomenon of Violent Extremism, its risks, and threats in general. The awareness and acceptance of the Albanian population for accepting repatriated Albanian citizens from conflict zones, Syria-Iraq, have increased.

The Albanian Government focuses on enhancing preventive measures and legal enforcement, increasing the level of order and security in the country in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, raising standards to further align Albania with NATO countries, and socio-economic development in the country.

In this regard, for example, a continuous decrease in the negative perception of respondents over the years regarding the stance on whether “Albania’s contribution to military missions in Afghanistan and Iraq was or is an offense to Albanian Muslims”; where 64.9% of respondents in 2023 denied such a stance. Compared to IDM reports for 2021, 2023 regarding this point, a significant decrease in negative public perception by 8.4% is evident.

In her speech, Ms. Dervishi expressed that the findings and recommendations of the report will be conveyed to responsible institutions in the country to confront this survey and public perception with the factual situation for the continuation of preventive and curbing measures against violent extremism. This to aid in the effective implementation of legal reforms undertaken so far. She emphasized that this shows that the gentle and multi-actor approach that public institutions have undertaken so far, coordinated by CVE Center, under the Ministry of Interior, is proving to be effective.

Nevertheless, she added that attention should always be constant towards this risk that threatens public security, with the aim of highlighting spaces for improvement for all stakeholders engaged in preventive policies against violent extremism, especially focusing on youth.

During her speech at the meeting, Ms. Amanda Roberson, Deputy Chief of Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Tirana, made an encouraging call to interested parties to continue working towards preventing violent extremism through multi-faceted approaches and with youth. She mentioned fruitful cooperation with CVE Center in countering this phenomenon, highlighting how Albania’s practices have proven effective as a model of a gentle approach that increases community resilience.

Ms. Dervishi concluded her speech by wishing that such studies continue in the coming years, as they contribute to the analysis and assessment of motivating factors but also risks in the function of public safety and order. They also serve as assessments of the positive impact of interventions undertaken by central and local institutions for prevention, including informing and raising awareness among first-line actors as well as communities.

The presentation of the findings was followed by comments and questions from participants, where Ms. Dervishi addressed many of them by informing about public state initiatives, strategies undertaken by the Albanian Government over the years. She also emphasized countering online radicalization and extremism, aiming to strengthen knowledge to raise awareness among communities, especially vulnerable groups, about the risks posed by the misuse of cyberspace.

The full study on survey findings can be found at the link: [https://bit.ly/4amuCng](https://bit.ly/4amuCng).