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Home Where we are Programme Office in Dushanbe What we do
OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe

What we do

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe is involved in a wide range of activities, including arms control, police reform, counter-terrorism, support to participatory dialogue and border management, economic development and environmental protection and education, water security policy development, disaster risk reduction, good governance, combating trafficking in human beings, gender equality, human rights, media development and legal reform initiatives.
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Arms control
In order to assist the Government of Tajikistan in improving the country’s arms control and stockpile management mechanisms, the Programme Office co-operates with designated agencies of Tajikistan in the following areas: improving the physical security of small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition and stockpiles management measures, the implementation of the Ottawa Convention (on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction), as well as UN Security Council Resolution 1540 on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and means of their delivery. The Programme Office’s assistance in this area is multifold and target-oriented. The assistance includes technical support (security upgrade of infrastructure/provision of equipment), expert advice in updating relevant sections of legal frameworks, as well as improving national training capacities, with the overall aim of making the results sustainable in the future and ensuring national ownership.
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Border management
Tajikistan faces a number of issues related to border security, including drug smuggling and human trafficking. The Programme Office trains Tajik, Kyrgyz and Afghan border officials to detect and intercept illegal border movements and helps them to develop information sharing systems which will ease border crossing and enhance border control. A major asset in this vital work is the Border Management College, established by the Programme Office in 2009, in Dushanbe. As one of the OSCE’s flagship projects, it enables the 57 participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation to train their border security officers and management officials at the College. Its annual core courses cover three one-month Staff Courses, one of which is dedicated to female border officials, and a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Border Security and Management for Senior Leadership course, which is accredited within the EU.
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Economic activities
The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe helps Tajikistan in improving the investment and business climate by providing support to the country’s free economic zones. The Office does so by enhancing business to business interaction at local and international levels. The Office organizes and co-organizes several trade and business related events to attract investment opportunities in Tajikistan. The development of small and medium enterprises is one of the cornerstones of the Office’s activities in the area of economic and environmental activities. Together with state partners, the OSCE organizes targeted trainings in the regions, particularly for returned labour migrants, women and young people. The courses aim to improve their entrepreneurial skills and provide advice to existing and potential business owners on taxation, licences, and access to finance. In the area of trade facilitation and connectivity, the Office is actively engaged with key partners in Tajikistan with regard to WTO requirements and its Trade Facilitation Agreement. This includes organizing capacity-building trainings on trade harmonization and simplification of procedures.
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Environmental activities
To encourage regional dialogue on water resources management and dam safety, the Programme Office promotes international conventions and brings together officials from Central Asian countries to discuss common challenges and opportunities. The Office supports Tajikistan in improving environmental policy, environmental education and public participation in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Office also supports five Aarhus Centres located throughout the country, where the public can find information on environmental policies and legislation. The Office supports Tajikistan by assisting with off-grid renewable energy solutions in remote rural areas, as well as drinking water supply in peri-urban and rural areas.
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Gender equality
To strengthen the participation of women in public and political life, the Programme Office works with Tajikistan's authorities, political parties and civil society in capacity-building programmes that support greater access to rights and opportunities. It co-operates with the police and local communities to prevent and combat domestic violence by offering training that helps police respond to cases and assists civil society in developing psychosocial and legal services for families in need. The Programme Office also supports a nationwide network of resource centres that act as crisis centres and community focal points for women and families.
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Good governance
The Programme Office works with the government and civil society to strengthen institutional, strategic and legal frameworks, as well as to enhance their anti-corruption and anti-money laundering efforts. It plays a prominent role in developing Tajikistan’s new National Anti-Corruption Strategy, empowering non-governmental actors to contribute to the Strategy. The Office monitors its implementation and impact and integrates the best international anti-corruption standards. In co-operation with the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Academy of Public Administration and other relevant institutions, the Office supports drafting of curricula that are used to improve ethics and integrity of public servants and prevent conflicts of interest. It also facilitates anti-corruption education for civil servants. The Office also provides support to the National Bank of Tajikistan in creating sustainable solutions for anti-money laundering activities. The OSCE puts a special emphasis on co-operation with civil society in combatting corruption and strengthening of its capacities. The Office helped establishment of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations of Tajikistan on Transparency and Anti-Corruption, and assisted in the capacity-building and awareness-raising efforts through a variety of activities.
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Human rights
The Programme Office increases the capacity of government and civil society in Tajikistan to implement the State Programme on Human Rights Education, the National Human Rights Strategy, and the Recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Third Cycle. The Office provides training for government human rights focal points, judges and teachers on international human rights laws and standards.
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Media freedom and development
This Programme Office aims to enhance the capacity of Government and civil society to introduce media legislation and high-quality university journalism curricula. The Programme Office works with the Parliament of Tajikistan to develop the country’s Information Code, which will regulate legal relations on information and the right of access to information. When adopted, the Information Code will be the first in Central Asia. The Programme Office also supports the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) to improve the quality of the curricula and training for national university journalism faculties and specializations. The Office also works with the Tajik Media Council, which serves as an important mediation instrument between the public and the media, by resolving disputes before they reach court. In cooperation with Media Council of Tajikistan , the Office organizes a Media Forum dedicated to World Press Freedom Day to discuss media developments in Tajikistan.
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Policing
To transform the country’s police from an old style “militia” into a modern police service, the Programme Office supports the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) in the implementation of its Police Reform Strategy and Programme. The two documents were drafted by the MIA, with the Office’s support, and in consultation with civil society groups between 2013 and 2020. They are currently under review and will serve as a baseline for the new Police Reform agenda for 2021 to 2025. The Office helps the MIA to establish police-public partnerships by supporting the activities of nine Public Councils since 2015 in different regions of Tajikistan. The Councils brought together civil society, community representatives and the MIA officers to support and promote the implementation of the local police reform. In 2019, two new Model Police Stations showcasing new community policing methods in rural districts , were opened and became operational and a third one in 2020.
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Rule of law
This area of the Programme Office’s work focuses on building the capacity of the government to develop legislative framework and associated mechanisms for probation, risk assessment, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for adult and juvenile offenders. Part of this work aims to facilitate and support the establishment of mechanisms to safeguard the treatment and conditions of detained and imprisoned persons, including that for alternative sentencing, rehabilitation and reintegration. The Office provides technical assistance and a platform for dialogue for an intergovernmental working group. The group consists of civil society representatives and experts for the implementation of the programme on penitentiary reform. The Office gives capacity-building support to the Working Group on Reforming the System Providing Justice for Children. The Programme is part of implementing the 2017-2021 National Action Plan on Juvenile Justice System Reform. In close co-operation with the Training Centre of the Supreme Court, the Programme Office provides support for the development of the judicial handbook on managing cases related to extremist and terrorist activity. Assistance includes capacity-building support for judges in managing such cases. The Office helped to establish and continues to support a production unit in the female detention center in Nurek. Further assistance includes setting up training classes to facilitate vocational training for prisoners involved in the production unit. The Office facilitates the work of the Coordination Council of the Penitentiary Reform, where government officials, civil society representatives, experts and international organizations will co-ordinate plans and activities on penitentiary reform.