White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism

Department of State To Host Ministerial as Part of the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
February 13, 2015

The White House will host a Summit on Countering Violent Extremism during the week of February 17 to highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting, or inspiring individuals or groups in the United States and abroad to commit acts of violence – efforts made even more imperative in light of recent, tragic attacks throughout the world.

As a component of the White House Summit, the Department of State on February 19 will host ministers, senior officials from the UN – including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon – and other multilateral organizations, and private sector and civil society representatives to develop an action agenda against violent extremism. This high-level event will include remarks by President Barack Obama, opening remarks by Secretary of State John Kerry, and closing remarks by National Security Advisor Susan Rice. Panel sessions will feature a broad range of foreign government officials and representatives from civil society and the private sector.

The State Department Ministerial will review global progress since the call to action President Obama issued at the 2014 UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York for all countries to do more to address violent extremism within their borders and region. Participants will identify next steps to more effectively counter the violent extremism that is driving today’s threats, while exploring the factors that can drive such extremism in order to develop effective interventions against them. The Summit will also serve as a platform where governments, nongovernmental actors, civil society, and the private sector can announce the concrete steps they intend to take, leading up to the 2015 UNGA and beyond, to stem the spread of violent extremism. World leaders will convene to review the progress made over the next seven months at the 2015 UN General Assembly meeting.

Any media opportunities will be covered by a pool of Summit-credentialed press and be available via live stream.

ENDS

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