RAN LOCAL - Impact of war and international conflict on local P/CVE, The Hague 29 February – 1 March 2024

This working group meeting aimed to understand how war and international conflict impact the local environment in Europe as well as the needs of local practitioners. This takes into account the training and practical skills they need to prepare, their institutions, and the future practitioners likely to be dealing with war and international conflict in an accelerating timeframe. 

The following key messages from the meeting are worth noting. 

• Local authorities should accept the post-truth era that they are currently working in, which is reinforced and magnified by ongoing international conflicts and wars, the effects of which spill over into European cities and regions. 

• Local authorities should invest in emotional governance to manage the outburst of public emotions attributable to war and conflict. 
• Political and administrative misrepresentation and non-representation during times of war and conflict are fuelling local communities’ existing frustrations due to not ‘being part of society’. This makes manipulation easier for extremist actors or malign government actors. 
• Local authorities should have some influence in foreign policy decisions that are visibly spilling over into the local sphere and becoming the responsibility of local authorities. 
• Recommended approaches for local authorities should focus on: 
  • promoting empathy, challenging biases and fostering local collaboration; 
  • creating local unity and conflict resolution mechanisms by investing in local customs and safe spaces; 
  • creating guidelines for educators and forging peace and cultural competence in local communities and among colleagues working in P/CVE; 
  • incorporating trauma-informed care in local P/CVE strategies and prioritising the mental health of local communities and of practitioners.