Research on post-2014 Afghanistan challenges, regional security key topics for OSCE Academy in Bishkek

Academic research and debates on regional security issues, conflict management, and specific regional challenges following the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan in 2014 are key activity areas of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, said its Director Maxim Ryabkov in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 30 May 2013.

He spoke about the achievements of the OSCE Academy over the past year, including the completion of the first course of the Masters in Economic Governance and Development in April 2013. This is the second programme offered by the OSCE Academy, in addition to the Masters in Politics and Security. By May 2013, the total number of the Academy alumni from all Central Asian states and Afghanistan reached 218.

In addition to academic work, the OSCE Academy organized expert meetings on post-2014 Afghanistan challenges, regional trade, conflict sensitivity in development, and conflict management implications of the civil war in Tajikistan. It also held annual summer school for young journalists, trained regional governmental experts in regulatory impact assessment and feasibility studies of public investment projects.

“Professional capacity building for Afghanistan and facilitating dialogue between Afghan and Central Asian experts communities continued to be cross-cutting topics for our programmes,” Ryabkov said. He added that in response to the request by Kyrgyzstan, the OSCE Academy has developed the concept of a research centre to study the impact of challenges emanating from Afghanistan on the Central Asian region.

Since its establishment and until 2013, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek has received financial and in-kind contributions from Germany, the US, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.