Graduates of OSCE Academy in Bishkek begin internship programme

BISHKEK, 21 May 2012 – The top 11 graduates of the OSCE Academy’s Masters in Politics and Security programme departed today for internships with academic institutions and international organizations in  Europe.

The graduates will work in the OSCE Secretariat, the OSCE’s High Commissioner for National Minorities, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, the Helsinki Committee on Human Rights, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and the PIR Center in Moscow. During their three-month internships, the students will gain an insight into the practical aspects of the subjects they have studied.

The remaining students will work at the field missions of international organizations and civil society organizations in Central Asia and Afghanistan. The internships are fully financed by the Academy and hosting institutions.

All 30 graduates attended a career development workshop earlier this month hosted by Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Chairperson of the Academy’s Board of Trustees.

"The OSCE Academy is a two-way mirror for the OSCE at large and Central Asia,” he said. “Through higher education, research and debate, the Academy disseminates shared OSCE values, probes core topical issues, and lifts understanding within the OSCE.”

“I see each Academy student as a potential future leader, each roundtable discussion as generating innovative thinking, and the Academy well attuned to the needs and context of Central Asia and the wider region."

Maxim Ryabkov, the Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, said: “The internships that we and our partners sponsor every year allow for better professional integration. These internships are key part of the curricula of our Masters programmes.”

Graduating students were also able to participate in the Academy’s second alumni conference on comprehensive security in Central Asia and Afghanistan on 5 - 6 May. Alumni presented and debated security-related subjects, while networking and strengthening the OSCE Academy as a centre of regional dialogue and research.

“The successes of our alumni underline the importance of these investments,” said Ryabkov. “The alumni meeting demonstrated their continued engagement, the level of discussion was very high, and the OSCE Academy will continue to support the research of our alumni. It is particularly important for us now when we are strengthening our research profile, that our alumni are becoming a source of intellectual innovation, while being connected to policy communities.”

The OSCE Academy is an educational and research institution focused on Central Asia. Based in Bishkek, it runs Masters programmes in Politics and Security as well as Economic Governance and Development for students from across the region and Afghanistan. The Academy also works with governments, civil society and academics on a range of professional training courses, dialogue promotion and research initiatives.