DUSHANBE, October 20, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- An official ceremony of opening of a new building of the OSCE office in Tajikistan has been held in Dushanbe today. 

The new building is located on the Ahmadi Donish Street.  The building-opening ceremony has been attended by Tajik state officials. 

As it had been reported earlier, the OSCE Permanent Council changed the mandate and the name of the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe to the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in June 2008. 

The current mandate includes the following tasks:

-                          promote the implementation of OSCE principles and commitments as well as the co-operation of Tajikistan within the OSCE framework, with special emphasis on the regional context, in all OSCE dimensions, including the economic, environmental, human and political aspects of security and stability;

-                          assist Tajikistan in the development of common approaches to problems and threats to security, taking into account the commitments of the Republic of Tajikistan to contribute to stability and security, to prevent conflicts and take measures for crisis management, as well as in the areas of, inter alia, police-related activities, border management and security and anti-trafficking;

-                          support the efforts of Tajikistan to fully develop the economic and environmental dimension and implement commitments stipulated in the Helsinki Final Act and other documents of the Organization, inter alia in the fields of free trade, the improvement of business contacts and possibilities, the development of energy and transport, investments, scientific and technical exchanges, the protection of the environment and good governance with a special emphasis on the regional context;

-                          assist Tajikistan in the human dimension to fully implement its commitments, inter alia, promoting ways and means for the OSCE to assist in the development of a legal framework and democratic political institutions and processes including the respect for human rights;

-                          facilitate contacts and promote information exchange with the Chairman-in-Office and OSCE bodies;

-                          co-operate with local authorities, institutions, and international organizations and NGOs;

-                          liaise and co-operate closely with the other OSCE field operations in the region in order to maintain coherence of the regional approach of the OSCE;

-                          continue efforts in building national capacity and expertise within its area of responsibility in order to facilitate an efficient transfer of tasks to the Republic of Tajikistan.

The original OSCE Mission to Tajikistan started work in Dushanbe in February 1994. It was renamed the Centre in Dushanbe in October 2002.