OSCE Office in Yerevan

The OSCE Office in Yerevan focuses on the role of armed forces in a democratic society, combating terrorism, parliamentary oversight of the security sector and the implementation of OSCE and other international military and security-related documents.

Police Assistance Programme

Based on the OSCE's experiences in its other field missions, the Office has established a partnership with the Armenian authorities to develop a Police Assistance Programme (PAP). The first project carried out under the PAP was the refurbishment - completed on 23 March 2007 - of the Police Training Centre in Yerevan, where non-commissioned police officers are trained.

In co-operation with the Armenian police, the Office has also agreed to provide assistance with the introduction of community policing in a pilot district of Yerevan, to help reform the curriculum of the Police Training Centre, and strengthen the emergency response capacity in Yerevan.

Recycling of toxic rocket fuel (melange)

The elimination of stocks of melange (a highly toxic and volatile component of rocket fuel) is a major cross-dimensional project by the Office, involving military, human and environmental security. For more information, see the "Environmental activities" section.

Fighting cyber-crime and terrorist use of the Internet

The Office supports activities aimed at raising awareness among government institutions and decision-makers about issues related to cyber-security and cyber-crime and their importance for Armenia. It supports the Cyber-Security Task Force - consisting of representatives of the National Assembly, law-enforcement structures and the Presidential Administration - in making proposals to harmonize Armenian legislation with the European Convention on Cyber-Crime, which was adopted in 2006.

It is also supporting the drafting of a Law on Information and Information Security in co-operation with the Ministry of Transport and Communication. The Office and the Armenian Government are working to introduce the ISO Standard on Information Protection as the national standard in Armenia.

Democratic control of the armed forces

The Office assists Armenia in improving accountability and transparency in ensuring civilian oversight of the armed forces by strengthening the legislature's role and promoting further involvement of civil society. In 2007, a training programme on democratic governance in the security sector was started for members of the armed, security and law enforcement forces, parliamentarians, civil society and journalists. In these training sessions, Armenian stakeholders are taught about international legal standards and examples of best practices in democratic oversight, and shown how to apply these standards in practice.