Empowering higher education institutions: OSCE launches "Crime Prevention and Culture of Lawfulness" university curriculum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

On 16 May 2023, the OSCE and regional partners held a seminar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for higher education institutions to present the OSCE-developed "Crime Prevention and Culture of Lawfulness" curriculum.

Recognizing that education is a powerful tool in preventing crime, the curriculum will equip university students in Kyrgyzstan with knowledge about the risks and consequences of criminal behavior, including organized crime, corruption, and illegal drugs. The course will help strengthen students’ resilience and reduce their likelihood of engaging in such harmful activities.

Following consultations with stakeholders across Kyrgyzstan, the curriculum was developed by the OSCE under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in April 2022 between the OSCE Academy and the Government of Kyrgyzstan on youth crime prevention.  As part of the MoU, the OSCE supports Kyrgyz authorities in implementing their national commitments within the Youth State Policy and the State Anti-Corruption and Drug Control Strategies, both of which emphasize the importance of youth education in the rule of law and integrity.

The seminar presenting the curriculum involved 50 professors and administrators from 20 universities across the country and was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, in co-operation with the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan. It is part of the OSCE-wide multi-year project: “Enhancing youth crime and drug use prevention through education on legality and awareness campaigns addressing threats of organized crime and corruption”, which is funded by Germany and Poland. Other donors supporting this project are Andorra and Italy.

As a next step, a targeted capacity-building course on the curriculum for professors of higher education institutions will be organized in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Science in June 2023. The curriculum is then set to be launched during the 2023/2024 academic year in at least 15 universities countrywide, and will thereby be made available to over 1,000 students.