Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 12 November 2024, during the visit of Uzbekistan’s delegation to Switzerland, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISMI) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

The document was signed by Eldor Aripov, Director of ISMI, and Khalid Koser, Executive Director of GCERF.

GCERF, headquartered in Geneva, is a leading international organization that has been implementing counter-terrorism and repatriate rehabilitation projects since 2014. Operating in 23 countries worldwide, the organization has invested over $200 million in these initiatives.

The signed Memorandum establishes a legal framework for joint programs in combating extremism and terrorism, as well as supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of repatriated citizens.

GCERF has expressed keen interest in the activities of the Regional Expert Council on Rehabilitation and Reintegration, established on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan. The organization is particularly interested in arranging specialized training for psychologists, social workers, and mahalla representatives engaged in working with repatriates. It also aims to develop programs that expand opportunities for the employment and social integration of returnees.

Special attention will be given to addressing the challenges of combating online propaganda of terrorism and extremism, as well as fostering critical thinking among youth.

GCERF was founded at the Fourth Global Counterterrorism Forum in New York in 2013, an initiative led by then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Swiss Chancellor Didier Burkhalter. Its Board of Directors includes representatives from over 20 countries, including those from the EU, Africa, Asia, the U.S., Qatar, and Australia.