Border Management Staff Course for Women Leaders concludes at OSCE Border Management Staff College

Hafida Abebsi from Algeria presents the results of group research works on the effects of the transnational crime, peace and security at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe. 26 May 2016

DUSHANBE, 27 May 2016 – A one-month Border Management Staff Course for Women Leaders concluded today at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, which trained 25 female border officials representing ten OSCE participating States - Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Mongolia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, and Ukraine - and one OSCE Partner for Co-operation, Algeria.

The course focused on promoting border security and management through effective development of a national strategy, forms of inter-agency and international co-operation, cyber security techniques, customs procedures, information sharing and the role of risk management as well as human rights and gender equality. Participants also improved their skills of communication, leadership and management.

“One way of knowledge delivery of the Staff Course is the group research assignments that reflect and apply accumulated knowledge in a research paper. Today we have identified and awarded authors of the best research project that focuses on countering the use of Internet for terrorist purposes,” said Dita Nowicka, Director of the OSCE Border Management Staff College.

Liana Gasser, Customs Officer at Swiss Customs Administration’s Federal Department of Finance, said: “I arrived to Dushanbe with an aim of enhancing my professional knowledge, in particular in the area of effective border control systems and the world’s best practices related to import, export, and transit process management. My goals are achieved now as I enhanced my knowledge, obtained practical experience, and most importantly established contacts with specialists from various countries. The Staff Course is an excellent platform for information, ideas and experience exchange.”

Olga Basarab, Senior Instructor at the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, added: “All the sessions delivered during the course were topical. That is why they triggered a large number of dynamic discussions, information exchange and development of new approaches to resolving the existing problems. The knowledge that was received throughout the course will be applied.”

During the course participants had an opportunity to visit checkpoints at the nearby borders with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, and attend a roundtable discussion on the situation in and around Afghanistan. This discussion brought together national and international experts, diplomats as well as representatives from government agencies and international organizations to exchange ideas and experiences concerning the recent developments. Specific panel discussions focused on the dynamics of radicalization and violent extremism, as well as the humanitarian and migration situation in Afghanistan.