Hedayah

Hedayah warmly welcomed H.E. Emiel de Bont, newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United Arab Emirates, for discussions on continuing our strong cooperation and support and building on Hedayah’s longstanding relationship with the Netherlands, a valued member of our International Steering Board.

The Netherlands has supported a number of Hedayah initiatives over the years, including Hedayah’s International Research Conference 2023, hosted in the Hague with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the UAE.

The visit provided an opportunity to reflect on our collaboration to date and exchange perspectives on Hedayah’s current work across preventing and countering extremism and violent extremism (P/CEVE), as we look ahead to further opportunities for cooperation.

We look forward to continuing this valued partnership and building on our shared commitment to evidence-based, sustainable approaches to P/CEVE.

عربي – English

- معاً نصنع بيئة آمنة!

في كل مجتمع، تبدأ الوقاية من العنف والتطرف بخطوة إنسانية: أن نشعر بالأمان، ونمنح الأمان للآخرين.
وكما تحتضن اليد في الصورة هذا العناق، تحتضن المجتمعات المتماسكة تنوعها وتحمي كرامة كل فرد، فالسلام ليس غياب العنف فحسب، بل بناء مساحات يشعر فيها الجميع بالانتماء والاحترام.

هذه الصورة التوعوية في إطار حملة "الشباب يصنعون السلام" وهي حملة الكترونية تهدف إلى رفع مستوى الوعي المجتمعي بدور الشباب في بناء السلام، وتعزيز التماسك الاجتماعي، ومنع التطرف العنيف.
هذه الحملة هي جزء من مشروع “الشرارات الإبداعية – تمكين وزيادة قدرة الشباب على الصمود من خلال الفنون والرياضة”، الذي تنفذه مؤسسة السلام المستدام في العاصمة بغداد، وتحديدًا في قضاء الطارمية وأبو غريب، وضمن برنامج “سعي ٢” الذي تقوده مؤسسة هداية – مركز التميّز لمكافحة التطرف والتطرف العنيف والممول من الاتحاد الأوروبي.


-Together, We Build a Safe Environment!

​In every society, prevention of violence and extremism begins with a simple human step: feeling safe, and offering safety to others. Just as the hand in the image cradles this embrace, cohesive communities embrace their diversity and protect the dignity of every individual. Peace is not merely the absence of violence, but the creation of spaces where everyone truly belongs and feels respected.

This awareness image is part of the “Youth Make Peace” campaign, an online initiative that aims to raise community awareness about the role of young people in building peace, strengthening social cohesion, and preventing violent extremism.
This campaign is part of the project “Creative Sparks – Empowering and Increasing Youth Resilience through Arts and Sports,” implemented by the Sustainable Peace Foundation (SPF) in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, specifically in the Al-Tarmiyah and Abu Ghraib districts, and within the framework of the Strive II programme led by Hedayah – the Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism, and funded by the European Union.
European Union in Iraq بعثة الاتحاد الاوروبي في العراق
Hedayah
اللجنة الوطنية لمكافحة التطرف
محافظة بغداد Baghdad Govermente

📢 Save the Date | Hedayah International Research Conference 2026 (RC26)

Hedayah is pleased to announce that the International Research Conference 2026 (RC26) will take place from 26 to 28 October 2026 in Valletta, Malta.

Hosted by Hedayah in partnership with the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), RC26 will convene policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from around the world to explore the latest research, evidence, and emerging approaches to countering extremism and violent extremism.

Through cross-disciplinary dialogue and knowledge exchange, the conference will provide a platform to connect research with practice, strengthen partnerships, and advance innovative solutions to evolving challenges.

📍 Valletta, Malta
📅 26-28 October 2026

Registration details will be shared soon.

📩 To stay informed about RC26 and other Hedayah events, research, and program updates, subscribe to our mailing list: https://hedayah.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=44f869e8052e9fd0d55e29360&id=6fa5b5b73a

For partnership opportunities, speaker enquiries, or further information, please contact [email protected]

| Youth Resilience in Action

Young people are not just beneficiaries of prevention efforts; they are innovators, educators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders driving resilience in their own communities.

This month, we're revisiting a selection of Hedayah’s efforts and stories that showcase youth-led approaches to preventing and countering extremism in different contexts around the world:

💠 Skills4Resilience - Exploring how media and information literacy can help young people navigate online risks and build digital resilience.

🔗 📹 https://youtu.be/vGhwPVYZOos

💠Space21 - Supporting youth entrepreneurship, employability and innovation through skills development and mentoring opportunities.

🔗 📹 https://youtu.be/t4OW9AOou_k

💠Lessons from the GCTF Education Initiative - Examining the role of education in building resilience, fostering critical thinking and creating safe spaces for dialogue.

🔗 📹 https://youtu.be/gjEMrvcz0tQ

💠 Tech2Protect - Showcasing youth-led digital solutions developed to strengthen resilience against online extremist narratives and promote positive alternatives.

🔗 📹 https://youtu.be/6jMsAz9yhYU

These efforts highlight a common thread across Hedayah’s work: meaningful prevention starts with investing in young people’s skills, opportunities and leadership.

Hear directly from the young people, practitioners and partners who are helping build stronger, more resilient communities.

Young people around the world face different realities, yet their aspirations remain remarkably similar: to contribute, to belong, and to build a better future.

This United Nations International Youth Day, under the theme of , Hedayah is highlighting how youth resilience can be strengthened through education, digital innovation, entrepreneurship, arts, sports, and community engagement.

Across diverse contexts, from and to and , we work alongside governments, communities, educators, and local partners to equip young people with the skills, opportunities and support networks needed to build resilience against extremism and violent extremism.

Through youth-led innovation, employability initiatives, creative expression, education, and rehabilitation and reintegration programs, Hedayah continues to invest in the potential of young people as pillars of positive change in their communities.

⏭️ Swipe through this month's to explore how different contexts can lead to common aspirations, and how youth are helping shape more peaceful, inclusive, and resilient societies around the world.

Empowering Youth to Lead Change: Ban’s Journey from Resilience to Leadership For Ban Abdulbasit Saleh, a young woman from Abu Ghraib, resilience has been a lifelong journey.

Hedayah continues its work with Uzbekistan to strengthen national approaches to countering extremism and terrorism related to the prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration (PRR) of returnees from Iraq and Northeast Syria through the European Commission -funded PRR program, with an expert training workshop in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, focusing on evolving digital threats and promoting safer online environments.

Delivered in collaboration with the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the Office of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Huquqni muhofaza qilish akademiyasi (Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan), the workshop builds on Hedayah's longstanding engagement in the country and reinforces the recently signed MoU between Hedayah and ISRS during the Fourth United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week in New York.

Supported by the European Union, the workshop brought together representatives from government institutions, research organizations, technology platforms, and international organizations, including the VOX-Pol Institute, to exchange experiences and explore practical, evidence-based approaches to strengthening national responses to harmful online content within the preventing and countering extremism and violent extremism (P/CEVE) context. These efforts contribute to broader national priorities to strengthen the PRR of returnees while enhancing institutional capacities to address evolving online threats.

Commenting on the significance of the workshop, H.E. Ahmed Al Qasimi, Executive Director of Hedayah, highlighted the importance of collaborative approaches to addressing evolving online threats:

"As technologies evolve, so too must our collective responses. Strengthening cooperation between governments, researchers, technology platforms, and international partners is essential to building resilient societies capable of addressing the evolving challenges of harmful online content."

This workshop forms part of the broader European Union-funded PRR Program in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - a consortium initiative implemented by Hedayah, Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund and The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ).

By bringing together government institutions, international experts, and trusted partners, this initiative continues to support practical, locally driven approaches that strengthen prevention, digital resilience, and long-term national capacity.



European External Action Service - EEAS European Union in Uzbekistan