4.13 Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan has been part of the PCUz’s portfolio since 2013, with current activities being part of the two-year ExB project, “Assistance to the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1540”. On 4 and 5 May, 20 and 21 July, 28 and 29 September and 2 and 3 November, the PCUz organized national workshops in Tashkent for 25 journalists of all types of media outlets, aimed at further developing their capacities to cover topics related to P/C VERLT. At the workshops, the focus was to develop the journalists’ skills to use modern multimedia technologies in order to achieve greater coverage among young people. Other key elements of the workshops included how to increase the activity of citizens in P/C VERLT, how to enhance public control over the manifestations of VERLT through the use of media, and how to strengthen the interaction and social partnership between law enforcement agencies and the media, including in matters of enhancing a legal culture in society. On 10 and 11 May, in the context of the PCUz’s larger antiterrorism efforts, the PCUz facilitated the participation of four representatives from Uzbekistan in an OSCE-wide Counter-terrorism Conference in Rome. Over the course of two days, representatives from the SSS, MoI and the MFA of Uzbekistan, along with the Director of the NGO Center for Studying Regional Threats, discussed the potential reasons for the increase in the number of FTFs returning or relocating from conflict zones, as well as how to tackle the issues associated with this at the national level. On 30 and 31 May, a workshop on “Prevention, Suppression, Financing and Tracing of Terrorism, and Responsibility for its Commitment: The Experience of France” was organized in Tashkent by the PCUz, in co-operation with the French Embassy and the GPO, for 35 representatives from the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the GPO, the MoI, the National Guard of Uzbekistan and other actors. At the workshop, participants learned about France’s mechanism for combating terrorism, including the organization of a specialized judicial and police system and different investigation procedures, with the aim to further develop their knowledge and capacities in countering terrorism. On 11 and 12 June, the “International Conference on the Role of Youth in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism (VERLT)” took place in Tashkent and Samarkand. The major goals of this event included raising awareness and formulating policy recommendations on the need to engage and empower youth in P/C VERLT. The two-day event was organized by the PCUz in co-operation with the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and with the support of the UN. 140 The importance of the event was highlighted by the presence of high-level contributors, such as the Senate’s First Deputy Chairman, the OSCE Secretary General, the UN SecretaryGeneral’s Envoy on Youth, and the European Union’s Special Representative for Central Asia. Over 200 participants from 23 countries, primarily from Central Asia but also from other countries of the OSCE region and beyond, discussed and shared best practices on how to effectively engage youth in P/C VERLT, including government officials, civil society representatives, independent experts, representatives of religious communities and of youth organizations. On the occasion of this conference, within the framework of the PCUz’s anti-terrorism project and in support of the OSCEwide campaign “United in Countering Violent Extremism (#UnitedCVE)”, the PCUz organized a “Contest for Youth of Central Asia against VERLT”. Young people up to the age of 30 from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan sent in more than 50 contributions to demonstrate how, in their everyday lives, they tackle various means of radicalization that could lead to terrorism. The best proposals from each country were awarded prizes. The contest contributed particularly to strengthening the link between policy and practice, promoting tolerance, mutual respect, pluralism, social inclusion and cohesion as responses to violent extremism, especially among youth. On 13 and 14 June, the TNTD/BSMU, in close co-operation with the PCUz, held a workshop on establishing an API system in Uzbekistan. The event provided participants with the knowledge and practical skills in detecting and preventing the movement of FTF, and the importance of API in these efforts. The event brought together 45 representatives from the Aviation Security Department of Uzbekistan Airways, related organs of the police and customs services, the SSS and the State Personalization Centre, as well as representatives from the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) for Uzbekistan. The event represented an important step forward in drafting a tailored action plan outlining relevant technological and operational procedures required for setting up an API system in Uzbekistan. Inputs was given by border control officers from Australia, Hungary and the United States, as well as from Uzbekistan Airways representatives who shared their experience in implementing API systems. On 25 and 26 June, in Tashkent, preventing human rights violations in effective counter-terrorism policing was the focus of a training workshop held by the OSCE/ODIHR in close co-operation with the PCUz. More than 20 experts from the Uzbek police, the GPO and the SSS participated in the event. The dynamic and very interactive training programme focused on a broad range of human rights questions related to practical aspects of the work carried out by counter-terrorism