OSCE supports the first online international training board meeting on explosive hazards
On 15 March 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe’s Integrated Co-operation on Explosive Hazards (ICExH) programme organized the 1st Online International Training Board meeting for the respective governmental structures of Central Asia and the OSCE field operations in Central Asia.
The meeting was initiated as per the request of the board members who participated in the 2nd International Training Board meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye on 14-15 December 2023 and who recognized the need for a follow-up meeting of board members to ensure up-to-date information sharing.
The main aim of the meeting was to further discuss challenges, best practices, and ways forward in the management and implementation of training courses and related activities on explosive hazard reduction and response. The event also provided a platform to integrate the needs and priorities of key beneficiaries and training partners in the process of planning, developing and implementing activities in 2024.
The meeting served as a regional forum for dialogue on future collaboration among main interlocutors. Particularly it provided the latest updates on the 2024 training plan and identified further national and organizational needs and priorities for strengthening co-operation in the domain of training and professional development in support of explosive hazard reduction and response. Participants discussed joint activities planned in Central Asia in 2024 and the importance of active engagement of the focal points and the OSCE field operations in facilitating the upcoming training.
The event was attended by the respective Ministries of Defence and Border Troops of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, the OSCE field operations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Norwegian People’s Aid and Tajikistan’s National Mine Action Centre. It brought together 30 specialists and practitioners from the military, law enforcement, security services, humanitarian agencies, and international organizations.
This activity corresponds to the wider OSCE role to serve as a forum for political dialogue on a wide range of security issues and a platform for joint action to improve the lives of individuals and communities in Central Asia.