OSCE training strengthens Tajikistan’s canine handlers' skills in effective use of dogs in search and rescue operations

A three-day training course organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe for Tajikistan’s canine handlers concluded in Bokhtar on 24 May 2024. The event was conducted at the K9 Training Centre under the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and involved 20 canine handlers from the K9 departments of Tajikistan’s MIA and the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence.  

The participants learned the most advanced techniques and methods of training dogs and dog handlers through hands-on training during search and rescue operations. In addition, participants were familiarized with intra and inter-agency coordination aspects in response to natural disasters and man-made accidents.

The Office will replicate this training in one more regional K9 office in Khorog city later this year. The activity is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s long-term efforts to handle disaster risk reduction and mitigation measures and to address risks related to natural emergencies, which Tajikistan frequently faces across the country.