OSCE conducts EU-funded training on sustained field operation capacity for officials of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe started a four-week training course for 20 staff members of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoESCD) on 14 September.

Participants will be able to improve skills required for addressing various emergencies. They will work on how to prepare for conducting sustainable field operations in challenging conditions typical for the Committee's area of operations. Representatives of the CoESCD and the OSCE will deliver theoretical and practical sessions, which will include map reading and orientation, basic alpinism and pathfinding, and search and rescue operations. The course will also include human rights and gender-related aspects of conducting rescue operations.

This is the first in a series of training courses within the 18-month EU-funded project organized to strengthen the capacity of the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence.

“Today’s training is the first action implemented through a new type of programme, which allows us to invest simultaneously in both security and sustainable development. The project will bring together security providers and civilian actors, from both sides of the Tajik-Afghan border, and equip them to better prevent and effectively manage different types of crisis,” noted Petra Gašparova, Chargé d’affaires of the European Union in Tajikistan.

The aim of the project “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern border region with Afghanistan” is to address various threats and risks related to natural disasters, which Tajikistan frequently faces along its southern border. The project is implemented by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

“The project will further strengthen the co-operation, built over the last years, between the OSCE and the CoESCD. In addition, it also demonstrates good co-operation between the OSCE and EU to enhance capacity of the host country in addressing relevant challenges,” said Valeriu Chiveri, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe. He noted that the project will enable CoESCD officials, representing different regions of the country, to improve their skills and strengthen the capacity of the Committee to respond effectively to natural disasters and other crises, thus contributing to the overall security of Tajikistan.

Capacity-building through training courses is one part of this EU-funded project. The project will also assist in conducting renovation and construction work of the Committee’s training centre in Karatag in order to host training courses on a regular basis. Other project activities include providing specialized equipment for first responders.

The EU has promoted security and effective border management in Tajikistan since 2003, notably through the regional Border Management Central Asia Programme (BOMCA) and the Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP). Through the EU’s Foreign Policy Instrument contributing to Peace and Stability, the EU helps building critical infrastructure in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast, helps stabilizing the border regions, promoting cross-border dialogue for tolerance and peace, supports actions aiming at preventing violent extremism or fighting disinformation.