Dutch-funded conference emphasizes importance of youth for countering radicalization

“We need the youth to contribute to stability, and we need to give them the opportunity to grow and trust in the future.” 
Spark, a Dutch-funded non-governmental organization, held a conference on the importance of moderation on Monday, May 30, 2022 (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)
Spark, a Dutch-funded non-governmental organization, held a conference on the importance of moderation on Monday, May 30, 2022 (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Spark, a Dutch-funded non-governmental organization (NGO), organized the second Peace Through Moderation Conference, focused on youth radicalization and violent extremism, on Monday. 

The conference is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and brought together over 150 participants, including ministers, parliament members, diplomats, senior government representatives, policymakers, NGOs, international experts, university professors, campaigners, and youth.

The Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands in the Kurdistan Region, Maaike Keizer, said that Amsterdam funded a project of Spark for four years to counter youth radicalization with Kurdish youth, teachers, and professors in Halabja, Sulaimani, and Erbil, supported by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

“In the past three years, I have been privileged to have worked in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and met so many smart and fully energetic young Kurdish girls and boys,” she said. “We need the youth to contribute to stability, and we need to give them the opportunity to grow and trust in the future. The goal is to prevent youth extremism.”

 Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands in the Kurdistan Region Maaike Keizer speaks at the Spark conference on youth, May 30, 2022 (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)
Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands in the Kurdistan Region Maaike Keizer speaks at the Spark conference on youth, May 30, 2022 (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)

Keizer stressed that the Kurdistan Region is a “strong and stable region for us all.”

“We all remember in 2014 the rise of ISIS and the war to defeat them,” she said. “We as the Netherlands and our allies support the fight against ISIS, and we continue to do so.”

She also added that it is important to counter youth radicalization to prevent the rise of organizations like ISIS. 

“We need to work together and deprive them of recruiting new fighters. We need to offer positive alternatives and opportunities for their future,” she said. 

During the conference, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that the lack of peace and stability prevented Iraq from becoming a developed country.

“The world suffers from a group of crises and threats. Now peace is more necessary than ever because of the crises facing the world,” he said. 

President Barzani stressed that there is a “need to understand each other. We need to be moderate in our thoughts. Moderation can prevent extremism, violence, and hatred.”

He suggested that the rise of ISIS should be a lesson on the need to create a “better future, hope, experiences.”

Raheil Aziz, the country manager of Spark, also argued that “to achieve peace and stability for our generation, we need to focus on the young people.”

He added that data shows that youth is the largest population in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. “It is one of the most important human resources for the country,” he said. “And we must benefit from them.”

“Some young people believe there are no equal opportunities for them, and this has led to disappointment for their future,” he added. “They immigrate, they leave the country, and they radicalize.”

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Therefore, Spark, which has been active in the Kurdistan Region for eight years, focuses on young people. 

“We as Spark support young people,” Aziz said. “It is now time to give a more important role to youth in the region, which will lead to peace and a healthy society in the region.”