OSCE organises mountain rescue training for Tajik rescuers

On 5 August 2023, twenty rescuers from Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence completed a training course organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Tajikistan (Office) on “Mountaineering- rescue operations in mountain conditions” in Varzob district.  

The two-week course was aimed at enhancing the rescuers’ skills and capacities in the area of search and rescue in mountain conditions as well as providing first medical aid to the injured. Topics covered included working with mountain equipment, technical characteristics of mountain/alpine equipment, ensuring safety in mountain conditions, lifting techniques and free climbing. Participants also learned about different types of knots, mountainous relief and high altitude factors, specifics of altitude sickness and movement on grassy slopes and snowy terrain.

The event was conducted as part of the Office’s project on the Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern borders with Afghanistan, funded by the European Union. The project aims to strengthen the professional capacities of both Tajikistan’s Border Troops and the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence to combat illicit activities in border regions and respond to natural disasters.