OSCE and Council of Europe strengthen co-operation to prevent youth radicalization to violent extremism and terrorism

On 6 November 2026, the OSCE and the Council of Europe (CoE) brought together representatives of OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation in Vienna, Austria, to discuss complementary approaches to preventing youth radicalization to terrorism and violent extremism, including in the digital sphere. The side event “Preventing youth radicalization to terrorism and violent extremism: Empowerment through complementary regional action” was organized on the margins of the 43rd OSCE–Council of Europe Co-ordination Group Meeting.

Co-organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department/Action against Terrorism Unit (TNTD/ATU), the CoE, the Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship and the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE, the event focused on strengthening youth resilience to violent extremist narratives, including online, through education, critical thinking, media and information literacy, as well as cross-sector partnerships. Discussions also explored how regional organizations can complement each other's efforts to promote human rights-based, gender-responsive and youth-centred approaches to preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism.

“New technologies represent vast opportunities and risks at the same time. We welcome the focus of both organizations on addressing youth radicalization through a human rights-based and child-rights-based approach, and actively engaging young people as partners in prevention, disengagement and reintegration efforts,” said Ambassador Raphael Nägeli, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the OSCE.

The discussions addressed the growing challenges posed by the exploitation of digital spaces, particularly social media, gaming and gaming-adjacent platforms, by terrorist and violent extremist groups to reach and recruit children and young people. Participants explored the importance of prevention strategies that combine education, early intervention and digital resilience with approaches that recognize young people as active partners rather than merely recipients of prevention efforts. Particular attention was given to safeguarding children's rights and best interests, especially when responding to cases involving minors who may themselves be victims of exploitation, coercion or manipulation.

“At the centre of our discussion is a shared responsibility: to protect societies from terrorism while safeguarding the rights and prospects of young people. These objectives must be pursued together,” underlined Ambassador Gabriel Revel, Permanent Representative of Monaco to the Council of Europe.

The event highlighted the synergies between the two organizations in addressing these challenges. The CoE's normative and legal framework and policy guidance on preventing radicalization to violence complement the OSCE's support to participating States through practical capacity-building, prevention-focused programming and engagement with governments, civil society, educators and young people. The exchange emphasized the importance of cross-sector partnerships and translating policy guidance into practical measures to strengthen young people's resilience to violent extremist narratives.

“Responding to this threat requires us to focus on, and invest in, long-term prevention to strengthen our resilience, and to ensure we safeguard children and youth as an integral part of our comprehensive security efforts. Regional co-operation can make a tangible contribution in this domain by facilitating the exchange of experience, supporting capacity-building initiatives, and strengthening co-ordinated engagement with young people, civil society, technology companies and other relevant stakeholders,” said Alena Kupchyna, Co-ordinator of Activities to Address Transnational Threats at the OSCE Secretariat.

The discussions also provided an opportunity to highlight the OSCE's ongoing work under Project CLEAR, implemented by TNTD/ATU, which supports youth-led initiatives to strengthen resilience to violent extremist content online. Through education, capacity-building and engagement with young people, educators, parents and other relevant stakeholders, the project promotes critical thinking, media and information literacy, and meaningful youth participation in preventing violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. These efforts build on the OSCE's policy brief From Classrooms to Chatbots, which emphasizes the importance of engaging young people as partners in addressing online radicalization to violence.