FHI 360 CoVE-MENA Quarterly Performance Report (January 1 – March 31, 2015)

The initiative began in 2014 and is managed by FHI 360's Civil Society and Peacebuilding Department. The CoVE-MENA team has been actively engaged in various activities during the reporting period, including quarterly review meetings with USAID, development of the agenda and preparations for the CVE Training Workshop, and drafting of the Women and VE research study Scope of Work. The team has also participated in events organized around the White House CVE Summit and the GCTF meetings. The threat of violent extremism remains high in the MENA region, with extremist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) maintaining territorial control in Iraq and Syria. The CoVE-MENA team has adopted the term Daesh to refer to the group, which has publicly denounced its use. The team has also been monitoring developments in the US and international response to violent extremism, including the recent White House CVE Summit, which has resulted in increased interest in CVE programming. The CoVE-MENA team has produced open-source desk research reports on VE in Morocco, Niger, and Mali, which examine the VE trends in the countries, the VEOs present in the countries, the VE push and pull factors, and the response to the VE problem. These reports are meant to inform the team's anticipated Maghreb/Sahel pilot activity and propose target populations, programming approaches, and potential CSO implementers for CVE programming. In terms of personnel, the CoVE-MENA team posted a job ad for a Grants and Program Specialist to support the anticipated Maghreb/Sahel pilot from Rabat, but has decided to delay hiring due to possible upcoming changes to the pilots structure. The team continues to review applications and CVs into Q3, so that they are positioned to hire the right person if they become available. The CoVE-MENA team has not raised any contractual issues with USAID this quarter, but one pending issue is the determination of Grants Under Contract (GUC) authority for the Task Order. The team has made a change to its coordination with USAID during a quarterly review meeting, and will continue to work closely with USAID to ensure the successful implementation of the Task Order. The CoVE-MENA team has also been working on developing a networking and capacity building event for participants from the Maghreb-Sahel in advance of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in September 2015. Further details and logistics will be a primary focus of the CoVE-MENA team in Q3.