Throughout 2010, the OS/Borders Team supported various capacity-building events within the BMSC. The delivery of the first four-week long staff course, targeting mid-level and senior managers from border security and management agencies, was successfully concluded in December 2010. Attendees included officers from several participating States as well as Afghanistan. In 2010, the OS/Borders Team, together with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, also developed a project regarding the detection of stolen vehicles. The project focused on the systematic smuggling of high-value vehicles across state borders as well as links with international databases addressing such crime. It was planned to be implemented in 2011. ****** 3.3 The Gender Section Background The Gender Section in the Office of the Secretary General acts within the framework provided by MC.DEC 14/04, the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality, MC.DEC 14/05 on Women in Conflict Prevention, Crisis Management and Post Conflict Rehabilitation and MC.DEC 15/05 on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and MC. DEC 07/09 on Women’s Participation in Political and Public Life. Ensuring gender mainstreaming in policing is an area that the Gender Section is committed to so as to ensure that security is accessible and attainable to all. Therefore, the integration of a comprehensive security perspective, recognizing the different needs, experiences and concerns of women and men, is critical to police work. The Gender Section supports all OSCE Staff working in this field, by providing adequate tools and technical assistance and by building capacity to mainstream gender into policing. The Section also encourages disseminating best practices and monitoring gender related issues in policing. Activities In 2010, the Gender Section continued to provide tailor-made support in gender and gender mainstreaming at the request of Missions and Institutions. The OSCE staff in Kosovo received training on gender issues in the monitoring of the work of the Kosovo Police. They particularly focused on the recruitment, the retention and the career development of female officers in the KP. In Armenia, the Section assisted with the development of an action plan which included recommendations for the inclusion of gender in the National Police Strategy. The assessment addressed two perspectives of integrating a gender perspective in the work of police services: • • The internal perspective, focusing on establishing equal opportunities for women and men in the Armenian police. This perspective entails the representation of women; institutional frameworks and measures taken to prevent gender-based discrimination; recruitment, retention and promotion of female police officers; and gender training. The external perspective focuses on how the police integrate a gender perspective in its operational concepts and activities, such as establishing police-public 29