The Politico-Military Unit co-operates closely with law-enforcement, security sector agencies and civil society on the implementation of OSCE commitments and related international standards in Azerbaijan on issues of policing, public assembly management, counter-terrorism and organized crime, democratic control of armed forces, and combating trafficking in human beings and forced labour.

Community policing

In close co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Unit promotes good practices of police-public partnership, beneficial police-media relations, crime prevention, prevention of domestic violence and gender mainstreaming through its Community Policing programme. This programme’s nationwide potential became clear in May 2009, when the President of Azerbaijan issued an order mandating the establishment of Community Advisory Groups in all Police departments across Azerbaijan. The project is currently operational in eleven locations around Azerbaijan: Mingechevir, Shabran, Shirvan, the Narimanov district of Baku, Guba, Khachmaz, Shabran, Tartar, Yevlakh, Ganja and Gazakh and still growing.

Public assembly management and the intersection between security and human rights

The Unit also provides training for the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Patrol Police, Special Response Units and Internal Troops in public assembly management techniques consistent with OSCE human rights commitments and related international good practices. These techniques emphasize police use of proportional and measured responses in support of the public's right to peaceful assembly. So far, the Unit’s training on public assembly management has reached over 2,000 members of the Police and Internal Troops in Baku, Ganja, Guba, and the Azerbaijan Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. In addition, the Unit is developing a series of Azerbaijani language books, which address Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Armed Forces Personnel.

Counter-terrorism and organized crime

The Unit advises and supports the Government of Azerbaijan in countering terrorism by providing training on risk assessment and investigation for Ministry of Internal Affairs organized crime department, and the Ministry of National Security special investigation unit. Further, the Unit assists the State Border Service to implement an Integrated Border Management Strategy and to counter cross-border crimes, such as drug smuggling. The Unit also addresses legal aspects and analysis of cyber security in Azerbaijan through workshops for cyber-crime investigators on cyber security and cyber defence. In addition, the Unit supports Azerbaijan’s membership in the International Bomb Data Centre Working Group.

Countering human trafficking and forced labour

At the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Unit is implementing a comprehensive capacity-building programme for the prevention and prosecution of trafficking and protection of victims of trafficking and supports the implementation of the National Action Plan to Fight Trafficking in Human Beings (NAP) and National Referral Mechanisms (NRM). With the major focus on identification of victims of trafficking and forced labour and investigation and prosecution of trafficking, the programme includes ongoing training activities, workshops and study visits. In many cases, the Unit co-sponsors these activities with members of a European Union-funded project led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), and including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).