Policy experts suggested serious attention to the urgency of comprehensive efforts -- engaging people from all strata of society -- to forestall possible rise of violent extremism in Bangladesh through raging unrest.
They also focused on developing bilateral partnership with openness and mutual trust for uprooting causes to transnational terrorism, radicalisation of religious thoughts, violation of human rights and so.
Key issues like social justice, political equality and mobilisaion, equal distribution of resources, good governance, and more employment-generating approach for youths and the rule of law also came under focus.
Their observations came Wednesday at a lecture session on 'Countering Violent Extremism (CVE): The Global Experience'. The cutting-edge function was jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).
BIISS Chairman Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad chaired the function held at the BIISS auditorium in the capital.
Delivering his lecture on the hot topic of the day, Executive Director of the Interim Secretariat of the Geneva-based Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) Dr Khalid Koser said violent extremism is a transnational problem. No government, nation and society alone can successfully overcome the problem.
"A holistic effort involving government, civil societies, local communities and international communities is required," he said.
Describing the GCERF activities, he said the Fund will provide support to community-level initiatives working to build resilience against violent extremist agenda by funding projects in areas such as education, youth, women's advocacy, media, social entrepreneurship and vocational training.
He said several countries indicated an interest in serving as pilot countries from where local government and non-governmental organisations will benefit from initial GCERF grants to support community-level initiatives during 2015.
He named four countries--Bangladesh, Mali, Morocco and Nigeria - which were approved as the initial beneficiaries of such grants at the inaugural board meeting in Geneva last November.
"The challenge is to translate domestic concern into transnational actions. What is happening here (Bangladesh) might have international implications," he said.
Talking about the issue, BIISS Director-General Major-General AKM Abdur Rahman said successful tackling of the problem of violent extremism highly depends on four Ps - Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare. This formula works to mitigate the impact.
"We need to adequately prepare our law-enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to this effect," he told the meet.
Appreciating the move by the GCERF, Ambassador M Humayun Kabir, Vice President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), said Bangladesh is a unique model of partnership between government and community in various areas, like health and education. This synergy helped the nation achieve many of the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals).
BIISS Research Fellow Ashique Rahman said besides counter-narrative initiatives, employment-generating approach is also equally important for the youths to be financially benefited to prevent them going violent.
On a note of concern, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque in his speech pointed out two phenomena that can wipe out whatever development the country has achieved -- one is climate change and the other is radicalization.
The top Foreign Office man put emphasis on some points as healing remedies: reduction of inequalities, mitigation of deprivation, inclusion of excluded people, and acceleration of human development.
He said Bangladesh should be engaged actively with the initiative, but that does not mean that it is a country of extremism.
"Bangladesh follows zero-tolerance policy on extremism and violence and is member of a number of UN-led initiatives," he told the audience.
The Foreign Secretary said the debate will certainly continue and this was not something which could be solved today, or even tomorrow. "It's a long-drawn process."
The speakers stressed support system for vulnerable groups as well as their rehabilitation, socioeconomic development, fairness and equality as unemployed youths are main target of militant organisations. Poverty and hunger are no longer root causes of radicalisation and terrorism in Bangladesh rather community leaders are not playing their proper role, they observed.
Senior civil and military officials, including incumbent and former ambassadors, members of the academia, representatives of think-tanks and chambers, scholars and policymakers participated in open discussion.
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