4.12 Centre in Astana Background The OSCE Centre in Astana (the Centre) was established as the Centre in Almaty in 1998 before it was renamed in 2007.30 It promotes the implementation of OSCE principles and commitments, facilitates contacts and exchanges of information and provides assistance to the government of Kazakhstan. In 2014, the Centre continued active co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA) of Kazakhstan and other law enforcement agencies and focused on efforts to familiarize the host country’s law enforcement agencies with best practices in democratic policing, with a particular focus on countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT), combating drug trafficking, public assembly management and the fight against the criminal use of cyberspace. The Centre also engaged the MoIA and other law enforcement agencies in international and regional activities organized by the OSCE Chairmanship and the TNTD/SPMU. Participation in these events provided Kazakhstan’s representatives with valuable information and contacts both regionally and throughout the OSCE area. Educating police officers on protecting human rights continued to be a centrepiece of the Centre’s activities in 2014. Trafficking in Human Beings On 4-5 February, the Centre supported a seminar for judges on countering trafficking in human beings, which was organized in co-operation with the Public Administration Academy under the President of Kazakhstan and the U.S. Embassy. Some 30 district court judges handling criminal, civil and administrative trafficking cases in courts from the regions of Kazakhstan took part in the event. It was the first training seminar in a series of seven planned for 2014 as a continuation of a long-standing capacity building programme for judges to learn about national and international legal tools in dealing with cases of human trafficking. On 25 June, the Centre took part in the meeting of the Interagency Commission on Combating Human Trafficking chaired by the Deputy Minister of the Interior. Deputy Foreign and Justice Ministers as well as representatives of other state bodies and civil society organizations discussed the draft National Action Plan on Preventing and Combating Crimes related to Trafficking in Human Beings for 2015-2017. On 8-9 August in Almaty, the Centre, in co-operation with the Interior Ministry and US Embassy in Kazakhstan, conducted a two-day training seminar for law enforcement officers on investigative techniques and methods to counter human trafficking. Some 30 police officers from across the country and representatives of civil society working with human trafficking victims discussed good practices with international experts and reviewed criminal cases related to all forms of trafficking in human beings and their organs. Drug Trafficking The Centre, in co-operation with the EU-UNDP Border Management Programme in Central Asia and the U.S. Embassy, organized a three-day training seminar in Almaty on drug-crime detection and prosecution. The training, which focused on controlled delivery and purchase, took place from 5 to 7 March. Some 20 participants from law enforcement agencies involved in combatting and preventing the sale of illegal drugs, including customs and police officers 30 As of 1 January 2015, the Centre has been renamed the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. 133