OSCE advances gender-sensitive law enforcement and border management in Central Asia

As part of the OSCE’s efforts to empower women in the security sector and strengthen regional security, the OSCE Secretariat, with support from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the five OSCE field operations in Central Asia, held the first meeting of the Regional Network of Women in Law Enforcement and Border Agencies in Central Asia in Vienna, Austria, on 7 and 8 May.

The meeting brought together the Network’s members, which comprises representatives of law enforcement and border agencies from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and featured representatives from the OSCE Chairpersonship, Secretariat, and several participating States. It aimed to build on two preparatory events from 2023 and 2024 and kickstart the Network’s operation.

The participants developed the Network’s strategic concept and discussed its next steps. They also took part in capacity-building activities to integrate gender-sensitive approaches for detecting human trafficking at borders, for increasing women's participation in and good governance of the security sector, and for developing related projects. The event also served as a platform for participants to strengthen the Network’s connections with the representatives from the OSCE Secretariat, Chairpersonship and participating States.

The meeting was held as part of several OSCE extrabudgetary projects, including “WIN for Women and Men”, “Support, capacity-building and awareness-raising for Security Sector Governance and Reform within the OSCE: Phase III" as well as the Transnational Threat Department’s programme and ODIHR’s Human Rights, Gender and Security programme.