OSCE organizes training courses to raise awareness of the threat of violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism in Turkmenistan

The second in a series of  three-day training courses on raising awareness on the threat of Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism (VERLT) concluded on 5 October 2022 in Ashgabat. The aim of the events is to introduce the basic concepts of VERLT and to raise awareness of conditions conducive to terrorism.

The first event was organized in September for law enforcement officials and police cadets, including representatives from the Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and General Prosecutor’s Office.

The ongoing event targeted youth participants and brought together representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sports and Youth Policy, Youth Union named after Magtymguly, university students and youth activists from local public organizations.  

The series will conclude in November with a course for community leaders, which will gather representatives of the national parliament, government institutions and ministries, as well as accredited parties, public organizations and national media.

All three courses are facilitated by local experts who completed the OSCE Leaders against Intolerance and Violent Extremism (LIVE) Training-of-Trainers programme and were later engaged in the development of special training modules in the framework of the project agreed between the OSCE and host government.

The training agenda covered the VERLT situation in the Central Asian region and provided an overview of the respective national legislation of Turkmenistan.. National experts addressed issues related to gender stereotypes, human vulnerabilities, and media literacy, and emphasized the importance of the respect for human rights in response to VERLT. Depending on the target audience in each event, relevant training sessions discussed the role of either youth, law enforcement or community leaders, including women and religious leaders thus demonstrating a gender-responsive and whole-of-society approach to VERLT prevention.

“With the help of these trainings, specifically designed for law enforcement officials, youth and community leaders, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat project aims to deepen the participants' understanding of what is violent extremism and how to plan preventive and countering measures in compliance with human rights,” – said William Leaf, Political Officer at the Centre in Ashgabat.