27 February 2024
On the margins of the 23rd Coordinating Committee Meeting, the European Union (EU) and Kenya hosted a consultation with Kenyan civil society representatives on the increasingly important topic of how best to effectively engage civil society in the prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration (PRR) of former terrorists. The role that civil society organizations play is vital, as both former terrorists and local communities must be receptive and willing to reintegrate. This includes sensitization to reduce stigmatization conducive to further marginalization of reintegrated individuals.
Although terrorism is a transnational threat, the process of prosecution, reintegration, and rehabilitation of former terrorists is conducted at the local level. A whole-of-society approach is therefore integral for a successful PRR process which builds resilient communities and helps limit and prevent radicalization of vulnerable individuals by terrorist groups. The consultations, which build on the discussion held at the Thirteenth Ministerial Meeting in New York in September 2023, featured an in-depth discussion on the challenges faced by civil society organizations and local Kenyan practitioners, to gain invaluable insights on adopting integrated whole-of-society approaches.