IOM Tajikistan has successfully started one of the components of the project titled “Integrated Cooperation Programme on Tajik-Afghan Border Security and Community Stabilization”. Ten border police officers of Afghan National Border Police and five officers of Department of Border Forces of Tajikistan attended the first round of a ten-day joint “Humanitarian Border Management” training course. The training took place in the Training Centre for Border Guards located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan that was established and provided with state-of-the-art training and office equipment by IOM in 2009.

The project received financial support from the UK Government and foresees the organization of twelve rounds of similar trainings. In total trainings will be delivered to 120 afghan border police officers and 60 Tajik border guards who are deployed and are working in 5 state border check points of both Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

This joint training aimed at contributing to the enhancement of security measures along Afghan-Tajik borders by increasing professional knowledge and skills of border officers working at border crossing points in Badakhshan region. It covered subjects such as the basics of border security, cross border cooperation, humanitarian border management, visa policy, detection of fraud documents, and combating human trafficking and terrorism.