OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid concludes visit to Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, 8 June 2022 — OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid concluded her two-day visit to Tajikistan.

During her visit, the Secretary General met with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Commander of the Tajik Border Troops Colonel-General Rajabali Rahmonali, Deputy Speaker of the Tajik Parliament and Head of the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians Mansuri Dilrabo as well as with civil society representatives.

The Secretary General participated in the Second International High-Level Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” hosted jointly by the Government of Tajikistan and the United Nations, in partnership with the OSCE and other international stakeholders. She also opened the pre-conference forum “Women Water Forum: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – Water Unites Us”.

“More than 150 rivers and lakes are shared by two or more of the OSCE participating States. Regional co-operation on sustainable water management is therefore essential. I am grateful for Tajikistan’s leadership at the international level. The OSCE is ready to further strengthen our co-operation in this field,” said Schmid at the High-Level Water Conference. “The OSCE also has a long track record of training women working in the water sector, for example with our Women Mentoring Network for Water Professionals in Central Asia and Afghanistan,” she added.

In her bilateral meetings, the Secretary General underlined the brought co-operation the OSCE and Tajikistan enjoy, especially thanks to the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.  “We are enhancing our support to Tajikistan to help mitigate the range of challenges stemming from instability in Afghanistan. We are working together on border management, for example, including by providing training at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe.”

The OSCE Secretary General also met with representatives of civil society. “Our partnership with civil society organizations is a cornerstone of our work. Combatting trafficking in human beings and domestic violence – two challenges that have unfortunately increased worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic - are among our focus areas. We are also strongly committed to youth empowerment,” she said.

Schmid met with the staff of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the OSCE Border Management Staff College, and commended their dedication and professionalism.

“We are very pleased to host SG and were able to present a number of our concrete activities which contribute to a fruitful cooperation between Tajikistan and the OSCE”, said Ambassador Vuk Žugić, Acting Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.