Washington, DC - The Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania hosted the West Africa and the Sahel Regional Summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) from August 19-20, 2015.

The summit included over 200 participants and emphasized the importance of a “whole-of-society” approach to address the underlying causes of violent extremism. In the summit, participants highlighted the essential role played by local communities, municipal and national governments, and non-government stakeholders in this effort.

The summit also reinforced support for a new CVE youth network for the region, which will enable young people to share their experiences, innovations, and good practices in building community resilience to violent extremism and challenging extremist narratives.

This was the seventh and final regional CVE summit ahead of the UNGA, when heads of state from around the world will gather on the margins of UNGA at a Leaders’ Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism on September 29, 2015.

Tomorrow, the Global Center on Cooperative Security will host a CVE workshop for delegates from civil society and municipal government to discuss the evolution of CVE practices and highlight successful program models at the local, national, and international levels. Delegates at the workshop will also receive training in how to challenge extremist narratives, including through social media platforms.

The U.S. commends the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for hosting the summit and leading in this vital effort.