On 11-12 October, the TNTD/ATU and the OSCE Centre in Astana co-organized a “National Seminar on Community Policing and Countering VERLT” in Astana. Some 40 national and international experts discussed violent radicalization and factors that may be conducive to terrorism. The seminar focused on how state authorities and the public can co-operate, including through community policing approaches, to prevent and combat terrorism while ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law. Government and independent experts from six participating States shared experiences and policy recommendations. Participants from Kazakhstan included representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Police Academy, the National Security Committee, the General Prosecutor’s Office, as well as experts from academia and human rights organizations. The seminar was also attended by representatives of the CIS, CICA, UNODC and the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA). Participants notably expressed concerns about the vulnerability of individuals in crisis situations to manipulative interpretations of religious dogmas and the spread of VERLT in prisons. It was suggested that vigilance among the public should be increased without being alarmist, and that building trust between the public and the police requires sustained efforts in terms of professional development of the police and improving perceptions of the police by the public. On 28-29 November, the TNTD/ATU and the CiB co-organized a seminar on countering VERLT for the Southern Provinces of Kyrgyzstan in Osh, bringing together 60 national and international experts to conceptualize the threat of VERLT, factors conducive, and how to effectively counter it from a multi-dimensional perspective. The seminar was a follow-up to a National Seminar on Countering VERLT in Bishkek held in May 2012. Non-governmental experts from Germany and the United Kingdom as well as governmental experts from Spain and Turkey shared their experience with a multi-stakeholder audience from the South of Kyrgyzstan. A UNCTED representative presented and moderated during the seminar, which was also attended by the CIS-ATC and UNRCCA. The seminar discussed the role of different actors, emphasizing the need to rely on different measures to tackle violent and non-violent extremism to uphold freedom of belief, expression, the media and association. Participants identified that public perception(s) of policies and actions of state authorities had particular bearing on the potential for increased radicalization and the willingness of civil society organizations to engage in preventive efforts. The seminar concluded with a discussion on possible next steps for Kyrgyzstan, in particular for the South of the country. ****** 2.4 TNTD/Borders Unit Background The TNTD/BU is the primary point of contact in the Secretariat for all border security and management related issues. The TNTD/BU is responsible for co-ordinating the OSCE’s response to requests from participating States on this subject and maintaining the OSCE Border Security and Management National Focal Point (NFP) Network. In 2012, five permanent staff of the TNTD/BU were involved in activities to address crimerelated issues, directly focusing on capacity building activities concerned with trafficking in drugs, human beings and goods, licensing and control of exported small arms and light weapons, and other major cross-border crimes relevant to the border security and management of OSCE participating States. In addition, the Unit undertook efforts to support 36