19 participants from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Bratislava
The European Union funded project Partess-com, in which the Euro-Arab Foundation is a research partner of the consortium, facilitated a one-day capacity-building training on May 15 for religious leaders, communities and institutions, civil society, and public entities in Sofia, Bulgaria. The session was led by experts from Enhancing Faith Institutions (EFI) specialised in security and the protection of religious institutions.
Shaukat Warraich, Director at EFI, and Kaashif Awan, Senior Consultant at EFI, alongside with Yoana Barakova from the Center for the Study of Democracy, who brought the Balkan perspective and served as the Bulgarian voice among the trainers, conducted the session attended by 19 participants from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Bratislava.
Content and Objectives
The training offered practical tools and good European practices applicable to institutional work and inter-institutional cooperation. Its primary focus was on prevention and response to security risks facing religious communities and places of worship a topic of growing relevance across Europe.
Throughout the day, participants were introduced to concepts of preventive security and extremism management, approaches to crisis communication, and methods for conducting basic vulnerability assessments of religious sites. Special attention was given to the role of communities and citizens in reporting security-related incidents, as well as to the practical application of available resources. The training also created space for open exchange of experience and proven solutions among participants – something that is, in itself, a form of dialogue.
Additional emphasis was placed on strengthening cooperation between public institutions, religious communities, and civil society – particularly in the areas of extremism prevention and the protection of places of worship. This triangular relationship between the state, religion, and civil society is key to sustainable prevention and to building trust within diverse communities.
