Strong Cities The Unelected Agenda .

Strong Cities Network
Led by ISD and launched at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, the Strong Cities Network (SCN) is the first ever global network of mayors, governors and local practitioners united in building social cohesion and community resilience

to counter violent extremism in all its forms. Since launching, the SCN has delivered over 70 events worldwide, reaching nearly 2,000 P/CVE practitioners including 500 city officials and over 100 mayors from 61 countries.

The SCN helps regions, cities and municipalities access the tools and insights needed to challenge and reduce the presence of violent extremism within their communities and support those working on the frontline. The five pillars of the SCN’s work include

1. KNOWLEDGE AND DATA The SCN provides granular research and insights based on our expertise of designing, delivering and evaluating programming to challenge polarisation and hate, across five continents.

2. POLICY, STRATEGY & INFRASTRUCTURE The SCN provides policy and strategy advice, to build evidence-based, locally-owned prevention strategies and establish the necessary networks and infrastructure within a city.

3. TRAINING The SCN provides training and capacity building to empower communities and local professionals to play active roles in violence prevention.

4. COMMUNICATIONS FOR COHESION The SCN provides research and communications advice to cities to build cohesive, integrated communities.

5. PARTNERSHIPS & CITY REPRESENTATION The SCN provides opportunities for policy makers and political leaders to convene globally and discuss challenges and solutions and to forge partnerships with international organisations, other cities and businesses

What on earth has the Australian state and federal Parliments gotten themselves into here.

Is Victoria the test state 🤔 most definitely looks that way to us .

What is the Strong Cities Network?

Launched at the United Nations in September 2015, the Strong Cities Network (SCN) is the first ever global network of mayors, municipal-level policy makers and practitioners united in building social cohesion and community resilience to counter violent extremism in all its forms.

Led by ISD and comprised of more than 140 cities across 45 countries, the SCN builds collaboration between mayors, political actors and frontline teams to tackle polarisation, hate and violence in local communities in every major global region. The network catalyses, inspires and multiplies community-centric approaches and action to counter violent extremism through peer learning and expert training. It operates with a set of fundamental principles, agreed by all members, that protect and promote human rights and civil liberties in all aspects of its work to prevent violent extremism. .

Why are cities important?

The risk of violent extremism – across racial, ideological, political and religious motivations – is a concern for families, communities and governments. Across the world, cities are on the frontline of building resilience to violent extremism. The SCN recognises that cities are uniquely positioned to safeguard their citizens from polarisation and radicalisation through partnerships with local communities. Mayors and municipal-level policymakers must work closely with their communities to identify and address the methods used by violent extremists to recruit, radicalise and mobilise targeted individuals.

A growing number of cities and other subnational authorities across the world have developed – or are interested in developing – local prevention and intervention programs that build social cohesion and resilience against all forms of violent extremism.

To do this, cities require a network that facilitates systematic exchange of good practice, expertise and lessons learned. The SCN fulfils this need by connecting and empowering cities through its global network, regional capacity-building, practitioner workshops and online information and training hub.

What are the SCN’s fundamental principles?

The SCN operates from the assumption that communities and local governments are both part of the solution to address violent extremism. The SCN is driven by a number of fundamental principles:

A commitment to address violent extremism in all its forms
A recognition that violent extremism and prevention efforts should not be associated with any particular religion, nationality or ethnic group
A commitment to work in partnership with local communities, on an inclusive, collaborative, and non-discriminatory basis and in compliance with international human rights standards

Who can join the SCN?

The SCN has been established exclusively for policymakers and/or practitioners operating at city, municipal or subnational levels. Membership to the network is completely free of charge.

If you are interested in joining the Strong Cities Network and becoming a member of a global community of mayors, municipal-level policymakers and practitioners united in building social cohesion and community resilience to counter violent extremism in all its forms, please register to ‘Become a Strong City’. Our team will then be able to respond and advise on the formal membership application process.