UN Women launches UQ-designed training package on Gender and Preventing Violent Extremism in Asia

26 October 2020

University of Queensland's International Development has developed a training package on Gender and Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) in Asia for the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

The Training Package was developed through extensive consultations with civil society organisations (CSOs), including women led CSOs, in Bangladesh and Indonesia. 

As it is critical to understand PVE in the context of the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, the training modules are structured around the four WPS Pillars: conflict prevention, participation, protection of rights during and after conflict, and relief and recovery post-conflict. 

The Package is designed to increase the knowledge about the critical role gender can play in understanding, addressing and preventing violent extremism (PVE) for its users who work directly with their communities on the ground. These local users are the true experts of their communities!

The Package gives the local experts a solid framework to develop training activities related to preventing violence against women. The modules also guide them to link local initiatives to the global frameworks, which are frequently employed by donors and international organisations such as EU, UK The Department for International Development, AusAID, and UN Women, which is critical for the effective delivery of programs funded by bilateral and multilateral agencies.  

Designed as a Train the Trainer resource to support women’s organisations and civil society in their work on Preventing Violent Extremism, and related fields of women, peace and security, the training modules are for use in Indonesia and Bangladesh, as well as in the Asia region.

Handed over to UN Women in 2018, the Training Package was officially launched on 14 September 2020 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325.

Participants’ comments from module development workshops:

“We are focusing more on women’s responsibility over children. Fathers should participate as well.”

“Giving ideas about Push Factors and Pull Factors [for being radicalised] will help to reduce terrorism, fundamentalism and radicalism.”

“There could be more stories on how rumours create different problems, and how politically influenced people do corruption during election [leading to acts of violence].”

Access the Training Modules

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