The Frontlines global report was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under the umbrella of the UNDP Youth Global Programme for Sustainable Development and Peace (Youth-GPS 2016–2020), and in collaboration with the Oslo Governance Centre (OGC). This new global research initiative was made possible with generous support by the Government of Norway.

The report puts forward and synthesizes data from field case studies/focus group discussions, a mapping of youth-led actions in the five regions, a global literature review, and a global survey on Youth and countering and preventing violent extremism for practitioners, to better understand young people’s aspirations and perceptions and improve programming. It is titled “Frontlines” in recognition of the fact that young people are already at the forefront of efforts to address and prevent violent extremism (PVE). Effective and long-term prevention approaches require the active support of, and investment in, young people’s holistic development priorities, their initiatives and their participation in decision-making.

It is our hope that Frontlines, which includes a broad range of illustrative examples, promising practices and policy and programming recommendations, will be an invaluable tool for national and local governments, the United Nations, development partners, academic institutions, civil society, and youth organizations, movements and networks.

Frontlines will inform inter-agency collaboration on Youth & the Prevention of Violent Extremism, paving the way for a new generation of ambitious and powerful youth-inclusive initiatives. It is also a meaningful contribution to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2250 (2015) and 2419 (2018) on Youth, Peace and Security, the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (2016) and the UN Youth Strategy (“Youth 2030”, 2018).