Hedayah

08/06/2026

Following endorsement by Hedayah’s International Steering Board, Hedayah is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ivo Veenkamp as Deputy Executive Director.

As Hedayah’s founding Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Veenkamp played an instrumental role in the organization’s establishment and early development. With more than 30 years of experience spanning counterterrorism, preventing, and countering violent extremism, social cohesion, public policy, and international cooperation, he brings a wealth of leadership, institutional knowledge, and global expertise to the role.

We also extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to Mrs. Anna Sherburn, former Deputy Executive Director of Hedayah, for her dedicated service and contributions to the organization. During her tenure, Anna played an important role in Hedayah’s strategic, operational, and programmatic development, helping to strengthen its partnerships, global engagement, and impact across the P/CEVE field. We thank her for her commitment to Hedayah’s mission and wish her every success in her future endeavors.

We look forward to this next chapter under the guidance of H.E. Maqsoud Kruse, Chairman of Hedayah’s International Steering Board, and the leadership of H.E. Ahmed Al Qasimi, Executive Director of Hedayah.

20/05/2026

20/05/2026

19/05/2026

H.E. Maqsoud Kruse, Chairman of Hedayah’s International Steering Board, and H.E. Ahmed Al Qasimi, Executive Director of Hedayah, welcomed H.E. Dr. Martin Longden CMG OBE, Interim Head of Mission of the United Kingdom to the UAE (UK in UAE), during a visit to Hedayah’s headquarters, where congratulations were exchanged on the recent appointments of H.E. Maqsoud Kruse and H.E. Dr. Martin Longden, while reaffirming a shared commitment to advancing Hedayah’s growth and program development through this longstanding strategic partnership.

During the visit, the delegation toured Hedayah’s offices, met with team members across departments, and received briefings on Hedayah’s global efforts through research and programming supporting prevention, rehabilitation, digital resilience, and counter-extremism efforts across the MENA region and beyond.

The discussions reflected the strong and evolving partnership between Hedayah and the United Kingdom, including collaboration on rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives in Morocco, youth and digital resilience programming in Tunisia through , global knowledge exchange initiatives, and, most recently, support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for Hedayah’s London event examining the intersection of artificial intelligence, online harms, and extremism.

Hedayah values its continued partnership with the United Kingdom and looks forward to further collaboration in advancing evidence-based and locally driven approaches to preventing and countering extremism and violent extremism.

13/05/2026

Hedayah’s May 2026 Newsletter is now available, featuring key updates from across our global programs, partnerships, research, and engagements.

This edition includes the appointment of H.E. Maqsoud Kruse as the Chairman of Hedayah’s International Steering Board, a note from our Executive Director, H.E. Ahmed Al Qasimi, as well as insights from our recent event, “Artificial Intelligence, Terrorism and Extremism: Threats, Risks, Opportunities and the Role of Governments.”

The newsletter also highlights ongoing efforts and programmatic developments across multiple regions:

In the Western Balkans, Hedayah continues advancing prevention frameworks, including support to strengthen Albania’s Referral Mechanism.

In the Middle East and North Africa, the edition features ongoing initiatives in Tunisia, including Space 21 through the Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE) Global Program.

Across Africa, Hedayah continues implementing three STRIVE Global projects in Nigeria in partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

In Central Asia, the newsletter shares progress on EU-funded efforts supporting the prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration of returnees from Northeast Syria in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

This edition also captures recent high-level engagements, including delegations from Uzbekistan and continued collaboration with EU partners to advance global prevention and countering extremism and violent extremism efforts.

📖Read the full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/hedayah/hedayah-newsletter-may2026

🔗To receive future editions directly, subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/iS7XF6

01/05/2026

On day two of the 19th meeting of the Regional Network of National CT-P/CVE Coordinators in Tirana, discussions focused on the role of civil society and the importance of community-led prevention. Together with The CVE Center - Albania, Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, and the Multifunctional Community Centre of Tirana, we co-organized a community of practice.

As part of these sessions, Hedayah, in partnership with the Institute for Activism and Social Change (IANS Albania), presented its work on strengthening national referral mechanisms in Albania, demonstrating how prevention commitments are translated into practice at the local level.

Through the EU-funded Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE), Hedayah has been working in Albania since 2024 with the National CVE Coordination Center and IANS to support the revitalization of Local Public Safety Councils across municipalities. These platforms bring together education, social services, law enforcement, and civil society to enable coordinated early intervention where it matters most.
This collaboration has also supported the development of Albania's first Case Management and Referral Guide, establishing a more structured, sustainable, and scalable approach to prevention.

As regional partners exchanged progress and priorities, this work stands as a practical example of how national frameworks are strengthened through local ownership, coordination, and long-term investment in community resilience.

🎥Watch the full documentary to see these mechanisms in action:

🔗https://youtu.be/pxFNcgj_4sQ

01/05/2026

Hedayah was recently in for the 19th meeting of the Regional Network of National CT-P/CVE Coordinators of the , bringing together national authorities, EU partners, and practitioners to advance coordinated responses to terrorism and violent extremism. This engagement reflects Hedayah’s continued partnership with governments across the region to strengthen prevention frameworks, from national strategies to community-level interventions.

Since 2015, Hedayah has supported initiatives across and the Western Balkans, working alongside institutions and civil society to translate policy into practice. In 2026, this work continues through EU-funded initiatives, including the Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE) Global Program.

In Albania, Hedayah is implementing targeted initiatives with national institutions and civil society, including messaging campaigns that equip religious and community actors to design and deliver their own counter-narrative efforts. These are delivered in partnership with The Center - Albania and the Interreligious Council of Albania to strengthen strategic communication and digital engagement.

Efforts also focus on youth resilience through the “Resilience and Empowerment of Albanian Youth against Digital Hate and Extremism” initiative, implemented with the CVE Center and WIT Albania, supporting awareness and use of the national “Red Button” reporting platform.

In parallel, Hedayah is strengthening Albania’s referral mechanism with ASSIST and the Institute for Activism and Social Change (IANS Albania), revitalizing Local Public Safety Councils and expanding municipal-level support.

In , Hedayah supports the Guardian Shield project with the National Committee for Countering Violent Extremism and Counterterrorism (NCCVECT) and the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM), strengthening referral mechanisms to identify and support individuals at risk, including returnees from conflict zones.

29/04/2026

28/04/2026

Hedayah was pleased to welcome the Ambassador of Ethiopia, H.E Dr. Jemal Beker Abdula for discussions on strengthening cooperation to support efforts to prevent and counter and violent extremism (P/CEVE) in the region.

Since 2014, Hedayah has worked with partners across the African continent, including in , , and supporting national and regional approaches through capacity-building, research, and community-based initiatives. This includes work on Rehabilitation & Reintegration, strengthening resilience among youth and communities, supporting policy development through National Action Plans, and advancing locally led prevention efforts.

Today’s discussions with Ethiopia reflect a growing commitment to deepen collaboration and invest in coordinated, whole-of-society approaches to prevention.

Hedayah looks forward to building on this engagement and strengthening partnerships with Ethiopia in support of more resilient and sustainable P/CEVE efforts across .



Ethiopian Embassy - UAE / AbuDhabi