An Indonesian way of P/CVE and interpreting the whole-of-society approach: lessons from civil society organisations

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 2016, The United Nations (UN) issued the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism that prescribes member states to adopt a National Action Plan (NAP) to combat violent extremism through whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches. A key aspect of the whole-of-society approach is to involve civil society organisations (CSOs). The collapse of the New Order regime in Indonesia, coupled with shifting global focus to P/CVE agendas, granted them wide latitude to pursue their objectives and the right environment to flourish. However, the mushrooming of P/CVE CSOs in Indonesia exposes the country to challenges such as uncoordinated programmes and competition. This article argues that these experiences prompted Indonesia to interpret the concept of the whole-of-society approach and to formulate a common NAP for relevant stakeholders to refer to. The NAP provides an official categorisation to assess the implementation of P/CVE programmes and identify required interventions. It also encourages all relevant stakeholders in the field to develop a unified database and a formal working mechanism among them. The availability of such regulations and mechanisms is critical to enhancing the impact of P/CVE initiatives, including the contributions of CSOs.