OSCE Border Management Staff College completes fourth one-year postgraduate Diploma in Border Security and Management for Senior Leadership

Twenty-six officers and managers of various border security and law enforcement agencies from fourteen countries across the OSCE region graduated from the fourth one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Border Security and Management for Senior Leadership Course on 19 November 2021.

Participants represented Afghanistan, Armenia, Egypt, France, Greece, Jordan, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Spain, Tajikistan, and Ukraine. 

Following the conclusion of the final module of the course, participants prepared course work and defended their research findings to a panel of experts from 15 to 18 November online and face-to-face in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.   

Ihar Kuzminich, Acting Director of the BMSC noted that despite the challenges induced by the pandemic and travel restrictions, the College still managed to conduct one session in an in-person format in Greece and the defense in Dushanbe, which allowed good opportunities for knowledge exchange and network building. 

The course consisted of three modules namely: Modern Security Challenges and Border Management, Leadership and Management, Current and Emerging Trends in Border Security Management and Trade Facilitation. 

Fua'd Suleiman Sayyah Al-hreishat, a course graduate from Jordan Customs said that the most exciting part for him was the session on risk management and analysis, where participants practiced all concepts and took part in different drills and exercises.

Each module of the course utilized a variety of training methods, such as self-learning in an electronic environment, lectures, and presentations, follow-up discussions and activities on the subject matter, discussions and exercises supported by experts, and study visits.

The OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC), in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), conducted the course aimed at intensifying the professional skills of border officers in the context of international standards. 

The course is accredited by the Estonian Quality Assessment Council for Higher Education (EKKA) and equals an internationally recognized one-year postgraduate diploma course. After the successful defense of their course work, participants received 60 ECTS credits, equivalent to level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework.