DUSHANBE, December 16, 2014, Asia-Plus – A one-week training course organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan on project management for law enforcement officials working on border security, concluded in Dushanbe on December 12.

According to the OSCE Office, participating in the course were 20 specialists from the Tajik Ministries of Foreign and Interior Affairs, Justice, Agriculture, Finance, Economic Development and Trade, Transport and Communications, Labor, Migration and Employment, Drug Control and Anti-Corruption agencies, the Custom Service and the Main Border Guard Directorate.

"Interagency cooperation between Tajik respective ministries and agencies is vital in ensuring border management and security. These will more than double the capacity in dealing with the challenges of transnational organized crime, terrorism, and the drug trade while promoting co-operation between agencies,” said Peter Hajnik, Counter Terrorism and Police Issues Adviser at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

The training course introduced participants to the concepts and benefits of using project management practices, particularly in Tajik border law enforcement agencies within the framework of the Tajikistan National Border Management Strategy and its action plan.

The training course was held by international OSCE expert staff specializing in project management and budgeting.  Sean McGreevy, Senior Executive Officer at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan introduced good practices in project management (project identification, development, management, control and evaluation) and Milisav Pejic, Chief of Fund Administration at the OSCE Office introduced budget rules and analysis for border security projects. Erdal Duzdaban, an expert consultant at the Border Management Unit of the OSCE Office presented investment and finance projects in border management and security, with a focus on case studies.

The training course is part of the border management unit’s activities aimed at enhancing the capacities of Tajikistan’s border law enforcement agencies.  The agencies are tasked with implementing Tajikistan’s Border Management Strategy based on an official request from the Tajik National Border Management Coordinator.