News and press releases

From 24 to 29 September 2024, the "OSCE for the People" photo exhibition was held at the National Historical Museum of Kyrgyzstan. The event marked a significant milestone—the 25th anniversary of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, which first opened its doors in 1999.

Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyz Republic The Border Service of the State Committee for National Security, Ministry of Interior, Customs Service under the Ministry of Finance, and the State Service for Execution of Punishment under the Ministry of Justice convened in Issyk-Kul from 26-28 August 2024 for the K-9 Inter-Agency Coordination Meeting.

On August 9, 2024, the VIII International Summer School for young diplomats from Central Asian countries, the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation concluded on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. The event, entitled “Diplomatic and Consular Service in the Era of Digitalization of International Relations,” was organized by the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic jointly with the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

Novopavlovka village, Chui province, Kyrgyzstan – 24 July, 2024 A ceremony marking the launch of removal operation of the final 55 tonnes of Samin, a toxic rocket fuel component, from the Novopavlovka area in Chui province of Kyrgyzstan took place today. This operation mitigates a significant environmental threat and ensures the safety of some 21,000 residents living near the storage site. The chemical waste will be transported out of Kyrgyzstan by air to Germany at the end of August 2024, where it will be incinerated in a specialized disposal facility.

Osh, 15-19 July 2024 – The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek conducted a week-long Training-of-Trainers (ToT) course on Ammunition Bunker Site (ABS) management. This initiative aimed to enhance the skills and knowledge of trainer candidates in managing Ammunition Bunker Sites according to international guidelines and best practices. The training focused on compliance with the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) and national regulations, providing both theoretical and practical lessons on setting up and running ABS, with an emphasis on safety measures to prevent unforeseen events at storage sites.

BISHKEK, 1-5 July 2024 – The OSCE Transnational Threats Department conducted a week-long training course “Crisis Management, Behavioural Analysis, and Interviewing Techniques” in collaboration with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

From June 17 to 21, 2024, a five-day OSCE Central Asian Summer Media School, "InfoSavvy: AI-Expedition and Media Literacy," was held in Issyk-Kul province, Kyrgyzstan. The school aimed to strengthen media literacy skills of 22 young journalists and bloggers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.