On 27 January of this year, the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISRS) held a meeting with Barbara Rotovnik, Programme Manager of the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI).

The negotiations also brought together key representatives from leading international organisations. Among the participants were Hafed Dridi, Programme Manager at Hedayah – the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism; Quentin Baltazar, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager at the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ); and Dilnora Azimova, the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) representative in Uzbekistan. Their participation underscored the collaborative effort to strengthen justice, rule of law, and community resilience against violent extremism across the region.

During the meeting, the parties held a detailed discussion on the further implementation of the European Union project “Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnees from Iraq and North-East Syria” in Uzbekistan. The three-year project has a total budget of approximately EUR 4 million.

It was noted that, to strengthen a comprehensive approach and enhance the project’s effectiveness, GCERF, Hedayah, and IIJ—organisations established under the framework of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF)—have been selected as key partners. This partnership will facilitate the provision of grants to local non-governmental organisations, the development of strategic communications, as well as advisory support in the areas of rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees and terrorism prevention.

Following the discussions, the parties agreed to further strengthen cooperation to ensure the successful implementation of the EU project.

For information: Hedayah (Abu Dhabi, UAE), established in 2012, specialises in countering extremism and, over the past ten years, has organised around 200 events for 21,000 participants from 100 countries.

IIJ (Valletta, Malta), founded in 2014, is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of criminal justice professionals in counter-terrorism and related fields.