OSCE concludes a regional training course for Tajikistan’s canine handlers in Khorog

A final three-day regional training course organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe for 20 (18 men and two women) canine handlers and officers of the Search and Rescue Department of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoESCD) and the K-9 Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) concluded in Khorog on 22 June 2024.

Two experts/trainers from MIA's K-9 Training Centre, previously trained by the Office, facilitated the sessions and introduced the participants to advanced techniques and methods of handling dogs in search and rescue operations through theoretical and practical exercises. Participants were also familiarized with intra and inter-agency coordination aspects in response to natural disasters and man-made accidents. Colonel Jumakhon Sharipov, Head of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast Special Police Unit, opened the event by emphasizing the importance of this training for their work. He also highlighted the need for further investment in this area.

Similar training courses were held in Bokhtar and Khujand in April and May 2024. In total 60 canine handlers (57 men and three women) from CoESCD and MIA were trained to become more effective in conducting search and rescue operations during disasters.

The activity is part of the Office’s long-term efforts to handle disaster risk reduction and mitigation measures and to address risks related to natural disasters, which Tajikistan frequently faces across the country.