Minister vaunts Swiss model to halt extremism

Switzerland’s federal structure and urban planning can help prevent the creation of ghettos and thus close the door on violent extremism, declared Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter at a conference in Geneva on Friday.  “Terrorism continues to spread around the globe and constitutes one of the gravest threats to international peace and security,” Burkhalter told 600 officials, including 32 ministers and deputy ministers, gathered at a high-level conference on preventing violent extremism. The United Nations and Switzerland hosted the event.  Over the two days, delegates took stock of worldwide efforts to halt radicalisation and shared best practices. The meeting follows UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s launch in January of a global action plan and request to all countries to come up with national plans to address the problem. The meeting represents a turning point for the UN, ten years after the UN General Assembly adopted a global anti-terrorism strategy on ...