Alumni and Students discuss the Role of the Security Sector in Stability and Peace in their Region

From 16 till 21 July 2023, fourteen OSCE Academy students and alumni from Afghanistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan came together to learn about contemporary security sector governance and reform (SSG/R) concepts, taking the opportunity to think critically, to use different approaches, and to evaluate “when, where, and why” to apply SSG/R tools in the Central Asian context – including in light of the situation in Afghanistan. The holistic nature of security sector governance and reform (SSG/R), the transformations experienced by different countries, and the efforts still required to further improve security sector governance in Central Asia were discussed at an OSCE workshop, held at the picturesque lake Issyk-Kul.

During the five-day workshop, participants deepened their theoretical and practical knowledge of human security, good governance, and human rights – with a focus on both people-centred and state-centred security. They also enhanced their knowledge of the links between security and justice as well as of the importance of gender and inclusivity in SSG/R processes. The event provided students and alumni with the opportunity to develop their professional and academic skills, together with their peers.

This summer school workshop was organized jointly by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, and the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek. It was funded by the OSCE extra-budgetary project “Support, capacity-building and awareness-raising for Security Sector Governance and Reform within the OSCE: Phase III”, with financial contributions from Germany and Finland as well as in-kind support from DCAF.

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