[{"bbox": [155, 154, 1120, 324], "category": "Text", "text": "counterparts. Notwithstanding the principle of the peaceful use of cyberspace, competition in this domain has strong security and defence implications, where the EU has an interest in establishing a strong and trusted partnership with Kenya. Support to the cybersecurity from other partners is relatively new and in incipit form. The proposed intervention will align closely with the regional intervention the Horn of Africa Initiative Project on cybersecurity. Furthermore, it will align as well with the support currently provided from the FCDO from the National Cyber Security Centre especially on the standard operating procedures."}, {"bbox": [155, 342, 1120, 569], "category": "Text", "text": "The proposed action will thus build on the positive results of previous actions and its trusted cooperation with the Government of Kenya on preventing and countering violent extremism and counterterrorism by increased exchanges and deepened dialogue. Secondly, the action will initiate new partnerships between key national institutions in charge of cybersecurity and their EU Member states peers, with a view of **promoting European standards and policies in relation to cybersecurity**. This action will thus raise the profile of the EU in one of the two key regulatory issues of Kenya's digital transition (together with data protection) and will contribute to a more secure and enabling environment for ongoing and future planned investments, notably under the Global Gateway."}, {"bbox": [145, 602, 400, 632], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [194, 660, 916, 687], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### (1) Preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) at national level"}, {"bbox": [155, 702, 1120, 958], "category": "Text", "text": "Violent extremism mainly arising from Daesh and Al-Qaeda affiliates continues to affect socio-economic and political stability of the Country with sectors such as education, tourism, security, and transportation being the most affected. The 2021 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) ranked Kenya as a high-risk country with a 6.17 Impact of Terrorism. The threat of violent extremism is dynamic, fluid and rapidly changing; with radicalization and recruitment spreading from the initial hotspot counties in the Coastal and Northern Kenya regions to non-traditional counties in Central, Nairobi, Nyanza, Western and the Rift Valley. The existence of perceived or real political, religious, ideological, and social grievances within the communities have continued to be exploited by violent extremists' groups to radicalise, recruit, motivate and justify their actions."}, {"bbox": [155, 972, 1120, 1171], "category": "Text", "text": "Simultaneously, some Kenyans previously radicalised and recruited were deployed back into the country to execute high impact attacks as witnessed at the Westgate mall, Mpeketoni, Garissa University, 14-Riverside and Manda Bay attacks among others. The radicalisation threat in Kenya is further exacerbated by the presence of violent extremist defectors from terrorist groups who inspire vulnerable and at-risk youth and women to support and perpetrate violent extremism activities. Empirical evidence indicates that terror groups exploit various avenues such as the internet, religious institutions, remand centres, prisons, and refugee camps to radicalise and recruit vulnerable individuals to join violent extremists' groups."}, {"bbox": [155, 1184, 1120, 1499], "category": "Text", "text": "The implementation of the National Strategy of Countering Violent Extremism currently under review is resource intensive and requires collaboration of various actors among them, bilateral and multilateral partners. The review of the National Strategy is also being informed by the changes from the global level namely the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000). The Council Resolutions were ground-breaking in that it provided strong support for greater attention to the role of women in international peace and security. The UN Security Council fully recognizes the critical link between the Women, Peace and Security agenda as laid out in UNSCR 1325 and the role women could and should play in preventing violent extremism. As highlighted in the 2020 Council Conclusions on EU External Action on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism⁵, women can be particularly targeted and at risk of becoming victims, including through sexual and gender-based violence, as strategic objectives of terrorist groups."}, {"bbox": [194, 1512, 1090, 1539], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### (2) Preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) at community and individual level"}, {"bbox": [145, 1589, 1114, 1615], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ 2020 Council Conclusions on EU External Action on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism"}, {"bbox": [1009, 1667, 1115, 1691], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 26"}]