Prevention of radicalization - Montreal a Founding Member of the Steering Committee of the International Strong Cities Network

MONTREAL, Sept. 30, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Mayor of Montréal, Mr. Denis Coderre, is pleased to announce that the City of Montréal will participate in the International Steering Committee of the Strong Cities Network (SCN) – a global initiative connecting cities to help protect them against the violent extremism by building resilience and strengthening social cohesion. Mr. Coderre is also one of the five founding members of the Steering Committee of the SCN.

During the official launch of the Strong Cities Network at the United Nations yesterday, Mr. Coderre highlighted the importance of this new movement in a video presentation to the participants, including the Mayor of New York, Mr. Bill De Blasio, and the Attorney General of the United States, Mrs. Loretta E. Lynch.

Mr. Coderre will be in New York today to participate in the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee and to discuss ways to accelerate the development of solutions to the many challenges posed by violent extremism and radicalization at the local level. In addition, this meeting will serve to develop and finalize the 2015-2016 Strong Cities Network Strategic Plan.

"Having hosted the first International Summit on Living Together, it is with great conviction that Montréal joins the Strong Cities Network as a founding member of its International Steering Committee. This is an extraordinary opportunity for the metropolises of the world to share knowledge and best practices to prevent extremism, as does our Montréal Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence, always with the goal of finding a balance between openness and vigilance," said Mr. Coderre.

Cities are major partners in the international effort to build social cohesion and resilience to violent extremism. They are the most credible and convincing voices to challenge violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations in the local context. The Strong Cities Network wants to be the foremost systematic effort to share experiences, pool common resources and build a community of cities capable of mobilizing local action on an international scale.

As a member of the International Steering Committee of the Strong Cities Network, Montréal will play a pioneering role in developing and delivering community strategies and local approaches. The SCN will connect cities, urban practitioners and the communities they represent through a series of workshops, training sessions, and sustainable partnerships. Montréal will also feed and benefit from the www.strongcitiesnetwork.org Web site. This site will contain a directory of local tools and training modules.

"This network will enable local governments to profit from exceptional collaboration and sharing through an innovative platform. Dozens of cities will thus be connected through their leaders, their administrators and their communities. Montreal is the only Canadian member of the network and proud to promote this new association through its own connections," concluded the mayor of Montreal.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

Catherine Maurice, Press Officer, Office of the Mayor and the Executive Committee, 514 346-7598