Protecting public spaces and soft targets focus of regional expert discussion in Central Asia

The OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department and the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a regional workshop dedicated to protecting soft targets from terrorist attacks in Astana on 27 and 28 May 2024 with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana.

The workshop brought together over 50 national and international experts for the first regional activity of the OSCE’s Project PROTECT. Participants included delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They engaged in a technical exchange on national approaches and perspectives on the protection of schools, hospitals, tourist sites, houses of worship, public places and other soft targets of terrorist attacks.

“There is not a single country in the world that is completely immune from the terrorist threat to their population. Its various manifestations and devastating consequences require a comprehensive fight based primarily on preventative mechanisms. An important component of this is the anti-terrorist protection of vulnerable facilities which can be targeted due to the potential for grave consequences, such as schools, universities, shopping malls and transport infrastructure facilities,” explained Marat Seksembayev, Rector of the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies at the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan – this event’s co-organizer.

“In the OSCE area and beyond, terrorists across the ideological spectrum use small arms, vehicles, knives and bombs to attack civilians going about their daily tasks. We have seen attacks on students while they study, worshippers while they pray, fans while they attend a sporting event and commuters while they make their way to work during rush hour. Research suggests that soft targets will continue to be attacked by violent actors for the foreseeable future. For this exact reason, the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit, launched Project PROTECT in 2023,” said Irfan Saeed, Head of the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit in his opening remarks.

Participants discussed a range of topics relevant to the effective protection of soft targets including: enacting security measures while protecting human rights, elevating the role of cities in soft targets protection as well as a spotlight session on school security. Participants also explored how to adapt protective efforts to specific sites, such as airports, houses of worship, tourist sites and major sporting events. Throughout the workshop, expert panels were complemented with break-out working groups in which participants worked through scenario exercises, soliciting further ideas and good practices for discussion.

Given the size and scope of the OSCE’s membership, there is a great deal of expertise and experience in the domain of soft target protection from terrorist attacks. Thus, in addition to enabling regional dialogue among national experts within Central Asia, the workshop also facilitated cross-regional dialogue with contributions from the Czech Republic, France, Germany and the United States of America. Moreover, technical experts from the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Centre for Sport Security, Strong Cities Network, OSCE Programme Office in Astana, and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights contributed their views and experience.

This event follows several Project PROTECT national events in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and a major Central Asia regional event on the topic in 2022.

This workshop was organized with financial support from Germany.