Addressing cross-border travel of suspected foreign terrorist fighters and criminals in focus at joint OSCE and UNODC advanced training of trainers

From 5 to 13 October, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department/Border Security and Management Unit jointly with UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch, delivered capacity-building training for twenty officers from border and customs services in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Within the framework of the advanced training of trainers (ToT), the event served to enhance capacities of the first OSCE-led National Mobile Training Team (MTT), equipping them with the skills needed to identify and prevent movement of foreign terrorist fighters, cross-border crimes, and victims of such crimes. This is done by learning about identity management, crisis management, combating small arms and light weapons, and combating trafficking in human beings.

“This training is part of the OSCE response to the implications of the situation in Afghanistan and aims to contribute to Uzbekistan's efforts to address transnational cross-border challenges in the region,” said Dennis Cosgrove, Head of TNTD/BSMU. “I believe that a seven-day ‘Training of Trainers' workshop will be an important contribution to further strengthening the national capacity of border guards and customs officers. Let’s hope that this training will be institutionalized in the region and we will have our own trainers who will be able to share the knowledge, information, and skill sets with their own peers in their countries,” said Ashita Mittal, UNODC’s Regional Representative for Central Asia.

The training course was delivered by the OSCE-led MTT, as well as international experts from INTERPOL, UNHCR, UNODC, and national legal experts. In addition to capacity building, it supported the finalization of the training curriculum developed under the OSCE wide MTT initiative launched in March 2023.  

The event, co-organized with UNODC, was implemented in the framework of the OSCE project “Strengthening the resilience of Uzbekistan to address cross-border challenges emanating from Afghanistan”, funded by Germany, Sweden, and the United States. It anticipates delivery of a series of training courses at the pre-selected border checkpoints throughout 2024 and 2025 by the national MTT.