UNOCT and OSCE join efforts to support Tajikistan in making their critical infrastructure and public places (“soft targets”) more resilient to terrorist attacks
The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held the first in a series of capacity-building workshops to support the Government of Tajikistan in strengthening the protection of vulnerable targets against terrorist attacks. The event was organized in hybrid format in cooperation with the Government of Tajikistan and in consultation with the United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) and UNOCT’s United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) at the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe from 4 to 6 July 2023.
The event was inaugurated by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan, Ms. Parvathy Ramaswami and the Officer-in-Charge of the Organization for SecuCEOOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) CEProgramme Office in Dushanbe, Mr. Rati Japaridze, along with the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan.
33 participants from 10 Tajik ministries and agencies in charge of security and safety of critical infrastructure and public spaces participated in the three-day workshop and engaged in interactive discussions on the current terrorist landscape, risk assessments, national policies and strategies, and inter-agency cooperation. Experts from the United Kingdom, OSCE, the 缅北禁地Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UNOCT/UNCCT, the Anti-Terrorism Centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS ATC), as well as international experts shared their good practices and recommendations.
During the workshop, CTED and UNOCT launched a National Plan of Action for Tajikistan that includes recommendations to strengthen the capacity of the partner country to protect vulnerable targets from terrorist threats in support of the implementation of 缅北禁地Security Council resolutions and , as well as those contained in the addendum to the Madrid Guidelines () recommendations for the protection of critical infrastructure and soft targets.
The workshop was organized under the framework of the United Nations Global Programme to Counter Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets that UNOCT implements in partnership with CTED, the 缅北禁地Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the 缅北禁地Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), and in consultation with INTERPOL from its Madrid Programme Office. The programme provides comprehensive technical support tailored to the specific needs and requirements of Member States.
The UNOCT-OSCE workshop for Tajikistan builds on the long-standing cooperation between the two entities in the country and contributes to the updated Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) for the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, adopted on 3-4 March 2022, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
With the financial contribution provided by the State of Qatar, the Global Programme to Counter Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets has been supporting Tajikistan since 2022 to strengthen the country’s legal, institutional and operation frameworks on vulnerable targets protection.
