The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the City of Rotterdam and the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus) are organising a Summit of Mayors for the “Alliance of European cities against violent extremism” on 9 November 2016 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Summit will bring together 127 participants from 27 countries, including 55 mayors and deputy mayors of European cities, in three working sessions. The first will focus on reviewing the initiatives taken by various European cities to combat the causes of radicalisation. The second will comprise six field visits to discover initiatives being carried out on the ground in Rotterdam. Lastly, the third working session will discuss training and awareness-raising programmes. The Summit will be opened by Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and Roger Vicot, President of the French Forum for Urban Security and Mayor of Lomme, representing the President of Efus.  

Press release
Programme
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131 participants from 28 countries, including 55 mayors and deputy mayors of European cities, gathered in Rotterdam for a Summit of Mayors for the “Alliance of European cities against violent extremism” on 9 November 2016. A joint initiative by the Congress, the City of Rotterdam and the European Forum for Urban Security, the Summit was opened by Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, President of the Congress, and Roger Vicot, President of the French Forum for Urban Security and Mayor of Lomme. After the Summit, they adopted a declaration reiterating the key role of local authorities as custodians of human rights, democracy and the rule of law at local level. Participants also emphasised the importance of pursuing multi-agency strategies, by developing a plan of action bringing together all local stakeholders involved in preventing radicalisation, allocating resources and co-ordinating action with different levels of government. The cities involved in the Alliance against violent extremism pledged to pool their resources to train both local government staff and other actors working at the forefront to prevent radicalisation. 

Press release

Rotterdam Declaration

Programme

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The mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb spoke at the opening of the Summit of Mayors for the Alliance of European Cities which brought together nearly 130 participants in Rotterdam on 9 November 2016. Stressing the importance of grassroots dialogue between local and regional elected representatives and the public at large, Mr Aboutaleb went on to say: “Many countries see radicalisation leading to violent extremism as the result of social and integration problems. Yet we are seeing people heading off to join the jihadists in Iraq or Syria for other reasons, even when they are totally integrated”. “In Rotterdam, we have decided to engage our fellow citizens in a proper conversation through a special programme. This conversation takes place at regular meetings in the local area or at our own offices, over a coffee,” explained the mayor, adding that the results were encouraging and that the scheme was helping to foster mutual understanding and to prevent violent extremism at grassroots level. During the Summit of Mayors, a number of field visits will give participants an opportunity to discover specific local initiatives being conducted in Rotterdam to address this challenge. 

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