Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove)

The Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove) was launched by the African Union Commission’s Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organizations (AUC-CIDO) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in February 2017. iDove builds on the assumption that violent extremism is a global issue, which can only be solved through concerted efforts. As opposed to top-down security interventions, iDove believes that effective prevention work requires a comprehensive ‘soft power’ approach that focuses on the root causes rather than on the symptoms of violent extremism. In short, the iDove project aims to: • provide an innovative youth-led approach to preventing violent extremism (PVE) by drawing on the soft power of religion; • initiate a strategic counter-movement to PVE; • promote mutual respect and understanding based on intra- and interfaith and intercultural values as core principles; • facilitate interfaith dialogue as a nonviolent tool of political transformation in Africa and Europe; • set up a platform of exchange and learning for youth working on PVE; • use digital components to counter the recruitment of youth into violent extremist groups. Among the many activities of iDove are the organization of Intercontinental Youth Forums, the implementation of Small-Scale Projects by participants and iDove Trainings and Training of Trainers including the development of a training manual to empower youth to engage in local PVE initiatives.