OSCE Centre in Bishkek

The OSCE Academy was established in 2002 in an effort to provide an opportunity for young professionals from Central Asia and Afghanistan to receive high-quality education with a focus on security and stability, as well as to serve as a forum for dialogue among regional experts on issues related to comprehensive security. Guided by OSCE principles and located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the Academy is strongly embedded in the wider Central Asian academic and political context and follows a distinctive regional approach.

The core tasks of the Academy are:

• to provide expert training and education in comprehensive security, human rights, good governance, and media development, as well as the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts;
• to conduct demand-driven and practice-oriented research on relevant Central Asian topics aimed at local, national and regional security-building;
• to support the exchange of information and co-operation among Central Asian academic institutions and their international partner organizations;
• to establish a regional network of professionals and researchers.

Academy programmes

The Academy offers two highly demanding master’s programmes: Politics and Security and Economic Governance and Development. Both programmes are designed for graduates and young professionals from Central Asia and Afghanistan and are taught in English by international scholars and professionals.

Most of the alumni of the master’s programmes work in Central Asia and Afghanistan and contribute to the positive development of the region. The Academy is thus helping raise a new generation of leaders for the region while establishing lasting links among students from different countries.

The Academy runs three annual professional training courses: 1. Central Asian School of Contemporary Journalism (jointly with the Deutsche Welle Akademie); 2. Certificate Programme on Conflict Sensitive Development; and 3. Public Policy Analysis.

The OSCE Academy has a rich research and conference programme, bringing together international and regional experts on various issues of political, military, economic and human development. It publishes Central Asia Security Policy Briefs, a platform for open discussion of regional security challenges.

The Academy is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes five representatives of each of the Central Asian states, as well as representatives from Canada, Finland, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Germany, the United States, the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre  and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.