Where We Work
Sustainable Development Goals
Peace, Justice & Strong Institution
No Poverty
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Decent Work & Economic Growth
Reduced Inequalities
Partnership for The Goals
Tunisia
Context
Country Statistics
Stories from the Ground
Pathway to Change
Local Partners
Context
Tunisia ranked 51 out of 163 countries in the Global Terrorism Index 2019. According to most recent estimates, between 6,000 and 7,000 Tunisians traveled to fight in Syria’s civil war, one of the highest ratios per capita in the world. In addition, the Tunisian government recently said that there are as many as 1,500 Tunisian fighters in Libya. While many of these fighters remain abroad, around 1,000 had returned to their home country by March 2018.
Country Statistics
Abandoning violent extremist ideology in Tunisia
In 2015, a relative encouraged Firas* to join a combatant group in Syria. However, he was arrested by police officers and detained before he was able to leave the country. Since then, Firas has been unemployed. His father is helping him to develop a professional career and stay away from violent extremist ideologies. Firas is pursuing his dream of opening up his own small business, with the support of GCERF.
Pathways to Change
GCERF is strengthening resilience to violent extremism by engaging with religious communities and by helping to develop alternative discourses for religious leaders in their speeches.
GCERF also works with universities and research institutions to help detect early signs of recruitment and radicalisation to violent extremism. An area under development is the reintegration of returning foreign terrorist fighters, including working with their families and host communities. GCERF will build on the work of women’s, youth, and religious institutions in small-scale rehabilitation and integration activities.
Focus
GCERF’s vision for its investment in Tunisia is to provide grants to strengthen community resilience to violent extremism in border, rural, and deprived peri-urban areas, focusing on:
- Youth who are especially vulnerable to violent extremism
- Women whose participation is critical to succeed in preventing and countering violent extremism
- Religious leaders
In addition, grants will focus on supporting the rehabilitation and integration of violent extremist offenders, and returning foreign fighters and their families, in support of Tunisian law and policy.
Collabration
Following the August 2018 approval by the Board of the GCERF Country Strategy for Investment in Tunisia, the Secretariat has supported the formation of the Tunisia Country Support Mechanism (CSM), which includes representatives of the government, Tunisian civil society, the United Nations, and the G7+, which is a donor coordination mechanism.The CSM is now fully operational. During the first CSM meeting, members agreed on the focus demographic and thematic areas for the launch of the Call for Concept Notes. T his Call was launched in mid-December for an initial investment of USD 1 million. Tunisia is a testing ground for new, innovative, and more agile methods of engagement. The Concept Notes have provided GCERF with a sense of the proposed PVE programming, which was essential to ensure that projects remain focused.Following the August 2018 approval by the Board of the GCERF Country Strategy for Investment in Tunisia, the Secretariat has supported the formation of the Tunisia Country Support Mechanism (CSM), which includes representatives of the government, Tunisian civil society, the United Nations, and the G7+, which is a donor coordination mechanism.The CSM is now fully operational. During the first CSM meeting, members agreed on the focus demographic and thematic areas for the launch of the Call for Concept Notes. T his Call was launched in mid-December for an initial investment of USD 1 million. Tunisia is a testing ground for new, innovative, and more agile methods of engagement. The Concept Notes have provided GCERF with a sense of the proposed PVE programming, which was essential to ensure that projects remain focused.
Local Partners in Tunisia
