Cameron announces £5 million for commonwealth counter-extremism unit

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a new £5 million funding initiative to support the commonwealth unit and strengthen its ability to counter extremist narrative.

The plans involve increasing co-operation with countries around the world to share best practice and identify new approaches to countering poisonous ideologies.

The strategy will enable a team of experts to be seconded into a new unit in the Commonwealth Secretariat to work with civil society networks and Commonwealth governments in support of national, regional and international counter extremism strategies.

The unit will work in all Commonwealth countries, but specifically in those facing a disproportionately high number of foreign fighters and those which might not have adequate counter extremism resources of their own.

In addition to this scheme, Cameron has also declared £200,000 of seed funding to expand the recently established European counter-radicalisation youth network to include all Commonwealth countries. The expansion aims to capitalise on the organisation’s existing networks to support moderate youth voices in countering violent extremist notions.

Speaking ahead of the gathering of Commonwealth countries in Malta, the Prime Minister said: “The fight against extremism is something that affects us all. The Commonwealth has a vital role to play in broadening international efforts to counter extremism.

“Its civil society and education networks make it particularly well placed to complement international efforts to build counter narratives to this poisonous extremist ideology.

“This is the struggle of our generation, but by working together we will defeat this extremist scourge that is a threat to us all.”