Terror fight: Uganda hosts MPs from IGAD member states
The meeting, which is running up to February 9, 2024, is organised by the IGAD Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE) and is taking place in Entebbe municipality.
Legislators from East and horn of Africa at the inaugural regional meeting on December 6, 2023, which sought to disseminate findings from research conducted to review PCVE legislations in place & to enhance capacities of the legislators to conduct gender audits on the legislations. Courtesy photo (ICEPCVE)
NewVision Reporter
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Uganda starting Wednesday, February 7, 2024, is playing host to Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region member states.
The regional legislators' meeting is expected to see 27 MPs from the East and Horn of Africa (three per country): Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, discuss issues concerning pushing for amends and/or introduction of inclusive legislation for countering violent extremism and terrorism in their parliaments.
The meeting, which is running up to February 9, 2024, is organised by the IGAD Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE) and is taking place in Entebbe municipality.
Senator Abdul Haji of Garissa County, Kenya shares insights in the fight against violent extremism and terrorism in the northeastern region of Kenya. This was during the first legislators' meeting in Kenya last year. Courtesy photo (ICEPCVE)
The meeting is a follow up of the inaugural one with select legislators sitting on peace and security committees in their parliaments on December 6-8, 2023, in Mombasa, Kenya. During the first meeting, research findings on the current legislations on P/CVE were shared and the legislators were introduced to tools they can utilise to conduct gender audits.
According to ICEPCVE, one of the areas that violent extremists have taken advantage of to thrive is the absence of strong legislation informing the violent extremism and terrorism threat.
Therefore, the meeting of legislators from the IGAD region is in line with the IGAD Regional Strategy for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, which seeks to address national and regional capacity gaps including the absence of strong legislation also characterised by a lack of inclusivity.
The strategy outlines one key measure to strengthen regional capacity for preventing and countering violent extremism is having P/CVE legislation in place to address the vice of violent extremism.
The centre also says in a concept note issued on February 6, 2024, that closely working with legislators to strengthen their role in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) is integral as the legislative process is a critical entry point to push for inclusive legislation as well as initiate the process of having legislation in place where there is none.