The OSCE Program Office in Dushanbe, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Permanent Mission of France to the OSCE organized a study tour to Paris for government officials from the Republic of Tajikistan to learn about France’s approach to protecting soft targets from terrorist attacks.
During the study tour, which took place from November 20 to 22, 2023, officials from the Republic of Tajikistan met with representatives of the city of Paris and the Government of the country. They discussed developing emergency plans for public places, including schools, hospitals, religious sites and shopping malls. They also discussed threat analysis procedures, the evolution of the legal framework to prevent terrorism, human rights-based approaches to protecting public spaces, and public engagement.
“France’s experience in the fight against terrorism in general and in protecting vulnerable targets in the face of terrorism in particular can be very useful for further enhancing our national efforts in this area. It was a fruitful and informative study visit,” said Zafar Safaralizoda, Deputy Head of the Office of Human Rights Guarantees of the Office of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and head of the delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan on this study visit.
“For many years, our country has been the target of groups inspired by ISIS and al-Qaeda, as well as their supporters. Attacking soft targets is a course of action that we must anticipate and be able to respond to. The terrorist attacks that have plunged French society into mourning in recent years, particularly the Paris attacks in January and November 2015, illustrate the critical challenge of ensuring the security of the French people while preserving our way of life, values and commitment to freedom. This study tour, initiated by the OSCE, allowed the Tajikistan delegation on this study tour to meet with the various parties responsible for addressing this challenge and contributed to our desire to strengthen cooperation and exchange of best practices with countries facing similar threats,” the general said Christophe Perret, Head of the International Affairs Unit of the French Ministry of the Interior (SDAI), who coordinated this study tour.
“One of the OSCE’s greatest strengths is the knowledge and experience of its participating States, and their willingness to share it with each other. “We thank the French government for welcoming the delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan to their country and providing the expertise necessary to deeply understand how schools, public places, houses of worship and other soft targets are protected from terrorist attacks,” said Jukka Tuononen, Head of the Political-Military Department and Acting Head of the OSCE Program Office in Dushanbe.
The study tour will serve as a basis for further building the OSCE’s capacity and providing technical support to the Republic of Tajikistan in the area of protecting vulnerable targets, with a focus on preventing terrorist threats while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. The study tour runs in parallel with recent OSCE and partner activities in the area of protecting soft targets, including the 2023 workshop on raising awareness and launching the Tajikistan Action Plan to Counter Terrorist Threats against Soft Targets and the 2022 regional workshop on protecting soft targets from terrorist attacks. focused on Central Asia.
The study tour took place within the framework of the OSCE Program Office in Dushanbe project, financed from the General Budget “Support to the National Strategy and Action Plan of the Republic of Tajikistan to Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism for 2021-2025”, the purpose of which is to help the host country fulfill its obligations to combat against terrorism in accordance with relevant OSCE standards and principles.
Source: OSCE
