Secretariat - Training Section

Through their adoption of the three-year OSCE Training Strategy, the OSCE participating States confirm the importance of training as a tool for enhancing the ability of the Organization's institutions and field operations to carry out their mandate, to strengthen the Organization's performance and to improve effectiveness in the field.

Training efforts are geared towards ensuring that OSCE staff members maintain the necessary skills to fulfill their duties at the highest possible standard.

The training needs of OSCE staff members are managed through a network of training focal points in field operations and institutions led by the OSCE Training Co-ordinator in Vienna.

Training strategy

Training activities throughout the OSCE are guided by three-year strategic plans approved by the Permanent Council (PC). Every three years the PC revises the strategy to reflect the specific needs of the Organization at the time. The current OSCE Training Strategy was adopted for the period 2011-2013.

The main features of the strategy are:

• It builds on the former training strategy, maintaining core principles and modernizing methodologies;
• It is based upon a joint management and staff-owned approach, incorporating an OSCE training network of focal points in Institutions and in Field Operations, as well as internal consultation processes, quality control, and so on;
• It seeks to enhance the co-ordination of training policies and activities as well as the development of synergies;
• It favours co-operation with participating States, other international organizations and training institutions;
• It seeks to enhance the ability of the OSCE Secretariat, institutions and field operations to carry out their mandates and tasks as decided by the participating States.
• Priorities
• Strengthening processes for assessing training needs Organization-wide, evaluating training activities and developing monitoring mechanisms;
• Developing a leadership training programme for senior management, allowing peer exchange and promoting consistent application of managerial tools;
• Supporting the definition and implementation of a participatory management culture;
• Fostering and supporting an OSCE knowledge and experience base to facilitate lessons learned and maintain institutional memory;
• Exchanging best practices and co-operating between participating States in the field of pre-mission training supported by the OSCE Training co-ordinator;
• Further building on partnerships and joint training ventures with other organizations;
• Ensuring broad access to appropriate orientation activities and  induction courses for all new OSCE staff and mission members;
• Ongoing training activities to support organizational processes and operational tasks,  and to improve operational effectiveness;
• Fostering managerial skills at all management levels, aiming for consistent application of managerial tools;
• Teambuilding training to strengthen shared understanding and commitment of respective activities and improved team communication;
• The roll-out of an organization-wide ethics training programme, using online training tools;
• Further strengthening expertise with regard to human rights and related areas;
• Ensuring administrative proficiency across the Organization, including through the use of organization tools such as IRMA and Doc.In.

Promoting gender awareness

The OSCE Training Strategy calls for the Section to implement the staff training dimension of other strategies and action plans approved by the Permanent Council or Ministerial Meetings.

Under the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality, the OSCE is tasked to expand existing training opportunities and create new training programmes for staff in accordance with the OSCE Training Strategies 2005-2007, 2008-2010 and 2011-2013, and the Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.

The Training Section aims to raise the gender awareness of current and incoming staff, increasing their capacity to mainstream a gender perspective into OSCE policies, programmes and activities through a series of activities, including a module in the GO Programme, a 3-day intensive gender training, and tailored training events organized on sit in the field.