Strong Cities Network | Inspiring Local Resilience on a Global Scale
Inspiring Local Resilience on a Global Scale
Become a Strong City
A global network of local authorities united in building resilience to prevent violent extremism.
The Strong Cities Network will be spearheaded by an International Steering Committee of cities and local authorities selected from different regions across the globe.
— STRONG CITIES INTERNATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE —
New York
London
Beirut
Aarhus
Atlanta
Rotterdam
Victoria
Stockholm
Copenhagen
Kano
Montreal
Palermo
Mumbai
Denver
Mombasa
Paris
Dakar
Tunis
Medellin
Antalya
Minneapolis
Oslo
Puno
The Strong Cities Network aims to connect cities and other local authorities on an international basis, to enhance local level approaches to prevent violent extremism; including facilitating information sharing, mutual learning and creation of new and innovative local practices. Find out more about the Strong Cities Network strategic objectives below.
Facilitate systematic sharing of knowledge, expertise and lessons learned on building social cohesion and community resilience to prevent violent extremism across cities on an international basis, through both regional workshops and international conferences.
Raise awareness of existing policy, programming, and practice through a dynamic and searchable ‘Online Information Hub’, providing an extensive library of existing local approaches and responses to prevent violent extremism.
Directly support cities to develop strategic frameworks and capabilities to build resilience that safeguard the rights of their local communities, including through capacity building seminars and interactive training modules on themes of mutual interest.
Facilitate international partnerships through a dedicated ‘Twinning Program’, established to develop sustained links between two or more cities based on mutual priorities and capacity for learning and co-creation of new projects.
Directly seed the development of new and innovative projects through ‘Local Innovation Grants’, providing support for cities on innovative project development and support for the transfer of promising projects that could be adapted across different locations.
Provide a global platform to enable cities to jointly voice their needs and those of their communities, to inform national and international decision-making on preventing the spread and growth of violent extremism.
New York
29-30 September 2015
Global Launch, United Nations
The Strong Cities Network will launch on 29 September in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Welcoming remarks will be offered by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who will also introduce a Keynote address by U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch.
The launch of the Strong Cities Network will be followed by the first Steering Committee Meeting on 30 September, convening Mayors and local government leaders from 25 cities across the globe, leading efforts to challenge violent extremism and who will actively drive the international agenda of the Strong Cities Network.
Paris
Spring 2016
First Annual Strong Cities Summit
The Strong Cities Network will host its First Annual Summit in cooperation with the City of Paris in Spring 2016. The Annual Summit of the Strong Cities Network represents the largest yearly global conference of cities, municipalities and other local authorities leading efforts to prevent violent extremism from across the world.
Convening over 100 local authority representatives from all regions of the world, Annual Strong Cities Summits provide a global forum for city representatives to showcase local projects; participate in local innovation workshops and network with colleagues from across the globe. To register your interest in participating in the Summit please register to ‘Become a Strong City’.
About us
The Strong Cities Network is the first global network of cities and other sub-national entities working together to build social cohesion and resilience to prevent violent extremism in all its forms.
The Strong Cities Network provides a global platform to support local authorities to systematically share lessons learned, pool resources and build a community that can mobilize local action on a global scale.
The risk of violent extremism – across racial, ideological, political and religious motivations – is a concern for families, communities and governments. Local authorities, including city, municipal and town governments, must work closely with civil society to identify and address the methods used by violent extremists to recruit, radicalize and mobilize targeted individuals.
A growing number of cities and other sub-national authorities across the world have developed - or are interested in developing - local prevention and intervention programs that build social cohesion and resilience against all forms of violent extremism. Such programs must emphasize two-way, local partnerships with communities built on equality and respect; they must underline respect for human rights and promote local democratic participation.
To do this, cities and other sub-national authorities require a network that facilitates systematic exchange of good practices, expertise and lessons learned.
The ‘Strong Cities Network’ (SCN) has been created to achieve a focused and rapid exchange of ideas and methods to strengthen the safety, security and cohesion of communities and cities. The Strong Cities Network will connect cities and local authority practitioners through practical workshops, training seminars and sustained city partnerships.
Strong Cities Network member cities will also contribute to, and benefit from, an ‘Online Information Hub’ of municipal-level good practices and web-based training modules, as well as ‘City-to-City Exchanges’. Strong Cities Network member cities will be eligible for grants supporting new innovative pilot projects.
Please check our Activities section to find out more about the Strong City Network’s projects.
The Strong Cities Network will operate from the assumption that communities and local governments are both part of the solution to address violent extremism. The Strong Cities Network will be driven by a number of fundamental principles:
- A commitment from its members to address violent extremism in all of its forms.- A recognition that violent extremism and prevention efforts should not be associated with any particular religion, nationality or ethnic group.- A commitment from its members to work in partnership with local communities, on an inclusive, collaborative, and non-discriminatory basis and in compliance with international human rights standards.
The Strong Cities Network is driven by an International Steering Committee of 25 cities and other local authorities selected from different regions across the globe. The Steering Committee is composed of cities that have demonstrated leadership and commitment to sharing information and expertise through the Strong Cities Network. The International Steering Committee will determine the strategic direction and thematic priorities of the Strong Cities Network.
The Strong Cities Network will also convene an International Advisory Board, including existing international and regional associations of cities and local authorities, in addition to a regionally balanced group of non-governmental entities.
The Strong Cities Network is run by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a London-based ‘think-and-do’ tank with a long-standing track record of working to prevent violent extremism across all forms.
Following the official launch at the United Nations in New York on the 29-30 September, the Strong Cities Network will convene the First Strong Cities Annual Summit in cooperation with the City of Paris in spring 2016. Annual Summits of the Strong Cities Network represent the largest annual global conference of cities and other local authorities leading efforts to prevent violent extremism from across the world.
Coinciding with the First Annual Summit, the Strong Cities Network will also launch the global ‘Online Information Hub’ which will contain a knowledge-base of best practices and lessons learned, as well as training modules and other interactive resources to support local authorities in developing local policies and practices to build social cohesion and resilience to violent extremism.
The Strong Cities Network has been established exclusively for local authority representatives and/or practitioners operating at city, municipal or sub-national levels.
Membership to the network is completely free of charge.
If you are interested in joining the Strong Cities Network and becoming a member of a global community of local authority representatives and practitioners working to prevent violent extremism in all its forms, please register to ‘Become a Strong City’.
testimonials
“I look forward to Aarhus joining the Strong Cities Network steering committee and to speaking about the Aarhus model here in New York. Although radicalization can result from a variety of different causes and be expressed in a variety of different ways, there are a range of trigger factors that are identical – all over the world.
Jacob Bundsgaard
MAYOR OF AARHUS
"To counter violent extremism we need determined action at all levels of governance. To succeed, we must coordinate our efforts and cooperate across borders. The Strong Cities network will enable cities across the globe pool our resources, knowledge and best practices together and thus leave us standing stronger in the fight against one of the greatest threats to modern society."
Stian Berger Røsland
GOVERNING MAYOR OF OSLO
"It is with great conviction that Montreal has agreed to join the Strong Cities Network founders. This global network is designed to build on community-based approaches to address violent extremism, promote openness and vigilance and expand upon local initiatives like Montreal’s Mayors’ International Observatory on Living Together. I am delighted that through the Strong Cities Network, the City of Montreal will more actively share information and best practices with a global network of leaders on critical issues facing our communities.”
Hon. Denis Coderre
MAYOR OF MONTREAL
“It gives me great joy to represent the people of Mombasa and to offer the message of hope that we are not alone in this fight against violent extremism and that together we shall overcome. This initiative allows for issues on violent extremism to be discussed and mitigated through information-sharing and city-to-city exchanges. Violent extremism has no place in Mombasa, and I vow to support the Strong Cities Network."
H.E Hassan Ali Joho
GOVERNOR OF MOMBASA
"As the Mayor of Antalya from Turkey, one of the most secure cities of the world, despite the visit of 15 million tourists each year, I am very happy to take part in the creation of Strong Cities Network...Antalya will decisively contribute to this network in close cooperation with the partner cities, benefiting from their experiences and will try to be an example for other cities to achieve peace and harmony in the world."
Menderes Türel
MAYOR OF ANTALYA
"London is a world in a city, with many diverse communities. Our capital must have a single strong voice in challenging the extremist narrative. By working with cities across the world, we hope to share our experience in tackling violent extremism as well as bringing a new approach to our own initiatives.”
Boris Johnson
MAYOR OF LONDON
Today Medellin is regarded as an example to the world in urban violence reduction that, along inequality, stands as the main challenge facing Latin American Cities. Going from the most violent city in the world to be a global referent in building societies for life, fills us with satisfaction and allows us to be part of initiatives such as the Strong Cities Network. When talking about the prevention of violent extremism and reduction in murders, some people see statistics, we see something deeper: saving lives
Anibal Gaviria
MAYOR OF MEDELLIN
Become a Strong City
The Strong Cities Network is designed for local authority representatives and/or practitioners operating at city, municipal or sub-national level.
To register your interest in participating in the Strong Cities Network and to join this global community of city-level representatives and practitioners, please fill out the form.
Membership to the network is completely free of charge.
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Strong cities
New York
Dreams of New York by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
London
London by Jose Maria Cuellar is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Beirut
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Aarhus
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Atlanta
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Rotterdam
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Victoria
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Stockholm
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Copenhagen
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Kano
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Montreal
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Palermo
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Mumbai
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Denver
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Mombasa
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Paris
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Dakar
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Tunis
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Medellin
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Antalya
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Oslo
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Puno
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Launch
New York
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Paris
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