OSCE Programme Office launches EU-funded project on Green Border Protection and Emergency Response

On 1 January 2020, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe launched a EUR 3.3 million project on the “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern border region with Afghanistan”, funded within the framework of the European Union’s Foreign Policy Instrument. The 18-month project aims to increase the professional capability of the Tajik and Afghan Border Services in order to better tackle illicit activities in border areas. The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CoESCD) to respond to natural disasters in border regions.

Beneficiaries from CoESCD and border services will undergo practical training on operational planning and sustaining field operations. The project will provide border services of both countries the skills needed to respond to security incidents and effectively protect the border.

Additionally, the training facilities of the Tajik Border Troops in Khalkayor and Langar will be partly refurbished, and the training centre of the CoESCD in Karatag will be extensively renovated and put into service. The project will contribute to a more stable and secure border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.