As part of the 2nd edition of the OSCE-GWNET Empowering Central Asian Women in Renewable Energy Mentoring Programme, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) organized a study tour in Vienna for female energy experts to gain hands-on experience in the renewable energy transition and strengthen the role of women in the sector.
The programme included training sessions on career development and advancements in clean technologies, alongside meetings with government officials and leading energy institutions. Participants visited key renewable energy sites, and had the opportunity to network with experts in the field, fostering the development of a community of female leaders driving the energy transition in Central Asia.
The study tour kicked off with an Experience Sharing Meeting hosted by Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. The meeting was attended by Kate Fearon, Officer-in-Charge/Secretary General and Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, as well as Permanent Representatives of Central Asian participating States and donors. It provided a platform for Central Asian mentees to share their personal stories, and discuss the challenges women face in the energy sector, including gender inequality, limited access to professional development, and the lack of female representation in leadership roles.
"The energy sector holds immense potential for growth, particularly in Central Asia, and by amplifying women’s voices and contributions, we can unlock new pathways for innovation and progress,” said Ambassador Dzhusupov, highlighting the broader impact of the initiative.
Kate Fearon reinforced this message, adding, "This initiative is more than a mentoring programme. It is a powerful step towards a sustainable, secure, and inclusive future."
"We are witnessing first-hand how these women are breaking barriers and becoming role models for the next generation," said Giulia Manconi, Project Manager and Senior Energy Security Adviser.
The study tour also featured an insightful exchange with Ambassador Fatène Benhabylès-Foeth, Permanent Representative of France to the OSCE, during which Central Asian mentees shared their views and explored the barriers to achieving gender equality. Other activities included a female leadership training led by coach Maren Wölfl at Climate Lab, participation in the 2024 Edition of the Vienna Energy Security Dialogue, and a site visit to the Austrian Institute of Technology, including the SmartEST Laboratory, which provides a simulation infrastructure to analyze the interactions between components and the grid under realistic conditions. Additionally, participants visited the 'Plus-Energie-Office Tower' at TU Wien, the world’s first office building that feeds more energy into the grid than it consumes, and the Spittelau waste incineration facility.
The study tour was implemented in partnership with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET), and is part of the OSCE project ‘Promoting women’s economic empowerment in the energy sector in Central Asia’ funded by Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Poland.
As part of the continuous support to the Ministry of Interior to improve its learning opportunities for police officials, in May and October 2024 the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized three training cycles for 29 Ministry officials to create, maintain and manage the e-learning platform, developed with the Mission’s support.
The Ministry’s e-learning platform provides online and hybrid learning opportunities on a variety of topics relevant for policing, including non-discrimination, human rights, as well as lectures on combatting stereotypes.
In May, through the first training session, the Mission supported the Ministry’s officials who managed the e-learning platform in adapting and uploading the courses on “Safety and health at work and first aid assistance”, “Basic training course in the field of fire protection” and “English language course for police officers”. In October, two training sessions were organized for the platform’s content creators, which equipped them with skills to create and upload training content, as well as to use advanced options for video content to be inserted in the created course.
These training courses will be followed by a six-week mentorship process with the Mission’s experts, during which each of the participants will develop a course within their own field of expertise, to be posted on the platform or further developed by the Ministry’s Directorate for police training and development.
In 2022, the OSCE Mission provided to the Ministry of Interior the technical equipment to host the e-learning platform, while in 2023 it trained 15 officials on the platform’s use, thus reducing the government’s training and education expenses.