By Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

DUSHANBE The George C. Marshall European Center partnered with the Tajikistan Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Civil Security Operations hosted a three-day seminar for Tajikistan and Afghanistan military and civilian professionals, 24 to 26 May in Dushanbe.

More than two dozen of the region’s military and civilian professionals who are involved in migration, civil-military relations, humanitarian aid, emergency response, military logistics, law enforcement and public safety gathered to examine international practices and policies in refugee crisis response.   

This seminar was the first in a series where the Marshall Center seeks to engage Tajikistan's Ministry of Defense, interagency and academic security communities to work together and address current security challenges and find areas of mutual understanding to respond to both regional and transnational challenges with whole-of-government tools and processes.

According to Marshall Center Central Asia Program Manager German Lt. Col. Ulrich Janssen, this event was planned because of the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, and in other different forms in Central Asia where Syrian and Afghanistan migration is being felt.  Central Asia nations are also facing large numbers of labor migrants who are suffering from Russia’s reentry restrictions. 

The seminar included presentations by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN International Migration Organization and Interpol Turkey.  Afghanistan’s Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), the main policy framework for sustainable reintegration of refugees returning to Afghanistan, was also discussed. 

This seminar in Central Asia is one of more than 100 non-resident and outreach programs planned by the George C. Marshall European Center each year. Through a strong partnership between the United States and Germany, the Marshall Center is able to organize and gather the right people to have meaningful discussions at the strategic-level for positive security policy outcomes.