OSCE regional workshop in Central Asia focuses on competency frameworks and training strategies on combating cybercrime and dealing with electronic evidence

On 5 and 6 December in Tashkent, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) held a Central Asia regional workshop on developing strategic and structured approaches to the training and education of police officers and prosecutors working on cybercrime and electronic evidence.

The 25 senior law enforcement representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participating in the event discussed the development of competency frameworks and training strategies on cybercrime and electronic evidence, which took place at the premises of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

A competency framework defines skill sets and levels for relevant law enforcement roles involved in the investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes and other crimes involving electronic evidence. Building on this, a training strategy outlines a plan for the provision of professional training and education to develop the necessary competencies amongst law enforcement practitioners. Following this regional event, TNTD will organize a series of national workshops in the course of 2025 to support the countries in the region to develop their own tailored national competency frameworks and training strategies.

“Our goal is to enable law enforcement educational institutions across Central Asia to design and deliver professional training on cybercrime and electronic evidence in a structured and sustainable way,” underlined Antti Karttunen, the Head of OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, during the opening session.

“We are proud to have supported the first phase of this regional project from 2020 to 2024 and to provide funding for its continuation as well. The second phase significantly expands the support to the region, addressing critical gaps and reflecting lessons learned and realities on the ground,” said Rebecca Dovergne, First Secretary at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Tashkent, during her opening remarks.

The workshop represents the first event under the second phase of the OSCE’s regional capacity-building project on combating cybercrime in Central Asia launched in September 2024 and funded by Germany and the United States of America.