OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on Tajikistan’s 2020 National Action Plan on Prevention of Violent Extremism held in Dushanbe

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe facilitated plenary discussions on the implementation of Tajikistan’s 2020 National Strategy and Action Plan on Prevention of Violent Extremism on 27 July 2018 in Dushanbe.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Tajikistan, the country’s lead government agency on countering violent extremism (CVE), briefed the participants on the strategy’s progress.

The discussion aimed at bringing together both national and international stakeholders to deliberate on the implementation modalities of the National Action Plan on CVE, and at identifying further support areas for civil society and government institutions, in line with international human rights standards and best practices.

The event also served the purpose to present the reframed matrix projects on the strategy, as well as to share the findings and developments of community resilience activities of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe over the course of June and July 2018.

“We brought together 20 ministries and agencies of Tajikistan in charge of the implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan on Prevention of Violent Extremism, to inform the international community and civil society representatives on the progress of this important government policy,” said Manuchehr Mahmudzoda, Head of the International Co-operation Department of the Office of Prosecutor General.

Mahmudzoda expressed hope that by end of the plenary discussions, the international organizations, diplomatic missions and civil society actors participating would come up with further ideas and proposals for how to achieve tangible results in this area.

“We are glad to see civil society representatives around this table,” said Guljahon Bobosadykova, a civil society representative. “Co-ordination of the strategy’s work plan is well-organized on the national level, but the same should be done on the local (district) level, in order to mobilize other layers of society.”

Tuula Yrjola, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, said that today’s plenary discussions will lay a solid foundation for developing effective measures on preventing violent extremism and terrorism. “We are here to assist the government and civil society actors of Tajikistan. We ask them to identify further support areas for the strategy in 2019, in line with the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security.”    

Representatives of various diplomatic missions and international organizations, accredited in Tajikistan, shared their ideas on implementation modalities of the strategy and agreed to co-ordinate their efforts on a bi-monthly basis. The next meeting has been tentatively scheduled for 28 September 2018.