The European Union (EU) is helping countries in Central Asia take measures to effectively counter radicalization and promote peace and stability. The aim is to increase societal resilience and empower people to spot and react to disinformation.
Press release issued by the European Union notes that very often, extremist groups use online channels to promote ideologies inciting society’s most vulnerable, including young people, to violence. This has resulted in the spread of disinformation and biased views on sensitive social, political and religious issues that can easily be exploited.
Against this backdrop, the EU-supported project, Contributing to Stability and Peace in Central Asia through Media Literacy, Improved Reporting and Regional Cooperation, has sought to increase the capacity of local journalists, activists and press officers to produce high-quality content while encouraging a more critical reading of news.
Funded under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) since 2018, the project is implemented by the international non-profit Internews. Activities include training sessions, national and regional workshops, and the setting up of fact-checking platforms to flag disinformation.
To consolidate and advance these activities, the European Commission has this week allocated additional € 4 million in support of the project.
The new projects will support trainings and professionalization of local journalists, activists and press officers to produce high-quality content, while fact-checking platforms to flag fake news will be created. The action, through the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, will also contribute to fighting disinformation, increasing resilience of local population and minorities, and developing counter-narratives.
The support announced on September 11 will consolidate and advance activities started through a previous collaboration with the NGO Internews, promoting regional collaboration and the co-production of content related to peace and stability. The conference that took place at the European Endowment for Democracy in Brussels on September 11 presented and showcased the main achievements and results of the first phase.
