ACTIVITIES OF THE UNRCCA PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY ACADEMY IN MAY 2023

2 Jun 2023

ACTIVITIES OF THE UNRCCA PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY ACADEMY IN MAY 2023

On 3 May, the UNRCCA Preventive Diplomacy Academy and the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan conducted a hybrid training for youth activists from Central Asia and Afghanistan. The guest speakers raised the audience's knowledge of the EU's history, structure and objectives in Europe and Central Asia, as well as the UN - EU cooperation on the Youth, Peace and Security agenda.

On 10 May, the Preventive Diplomacy Academy organized a hybrid training session with the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Head of the Mission in Turkmenistan and the Legal Advisor of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Central Asia where they informed the PDA participants about the history, mandate and activities of ICRC globally and regionally. In addition, the ICRC experts described the essence of International Humanitarian Law and showed the practical aspects of its application linked to examples from the national legislations of Central Asia and Afghanistan.

In the second half of the month, on 15, 17, and 19 May, the UNRCCA Preventive Diplomacy Academy organized a three-day workshop on Conflict Prevention and Digital Security for youth from Central Asia and Afghanistan. The participants used the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge about the history of the world conflicts' root causes, the tools and measures of preventive settlement. The seminar participants gained knowledge of the theory of conflicts and their classification. Furthermore, the PDA trainees learned how to respond to conflict situations within peacebuilding, peacekeeping and conflict resolution management frameworks. In addition, the workshop participants were informed about digital security and conflict prevention methods, including digital conflict prevention methods in peacebuilding. During this seminar, theoretical knowledge was backed up by practical exercises on historical examples of UN peacekeeping activities since 1945.

On 22-23 May, the Preventive Diplomacy Academy team participated in the training held by the UN OHCHR for Central Asia in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. This training was conducted for 40 young people, including PDA Alumni, SDG Ambassadors, and university students. The young participants will be prepared for the upcoming “Turkmenistan Ashgabat Model United Nations (TAMUN)”. The event is scheduled to take place in the fall, under the auspices of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in partnership with the UNOCT/UNCCT, UNODC, and USAID/Winrock. The training covered various topics, such as human rights, equality, and non-discrimination, and will help participants enhance their knowledge in these areas.

On 22-24 May, the UNRCCA Preventive Diplomacy Academy team took part in the national tabletop exercise on addressing Internet use for terrorist purposes. The OSCE Center in Ashgabat organized the practical exercise in cooperation with the OSCE Secretariat's Transnational Threats Department to raise the capacity of national government representatives, law enforcement agencies, civil society organizations and the media. International experts delivered presentations on the integrated approaches to effectively preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism in the online space as well as on the interaction of governmental agencies and civil society in strategic communications. The participants developed a set of recommendations on practical measures to prevent the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, which will be included in Turkmenistan's national strategies and action plans.

On 30 May 2023, UNRCCA organized a training session for the 45 graduates of the UNRCCA Preventive Diplomacy Academy on the topic “Diplomacy for Peace”. The training session was devoted to the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations Special Political Missions.  Its  aim was to raise awareness of young people on the role and impact of special political missions in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and peacemaking, as a vital part of the United Nations diplomacy for peace.