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Six law enforcement officials from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in a study visit to Italy to examine good practices in addressing terrorist threats against public places, from 3 to 5 December 2025.

The activity was organized by the ºÚÁÏרÇø Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the Department of Public Security of the Italian Ministry of Interior, and the ºÚÁÏרÇø Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), within the framework of the ºÚÁÏרÇø Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets.

The visit was inaugurated by Prefect Mr. Annunziato Vardè, Director of the Office for the Coordination and Planning of Police Forces, and General Massimiliano Della Gala, Director of the International Relations Service of the same Office, together with representatives from UNOCT and UNICRI. The three-day programme focused on knowledge-sharing, legal, institutional, and operational practices, as well as lessons learned in planning and securing major events and gatherings. It provided a valuable opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and informal exchanges.

The programme combined site visits and technical briefings delivered by counter-terrorism and public security experts from the Ministry of the Interior, the Italian National Police, and the Italian Gendarmerie (Carabinieri), among others. The visits offered insights into Italy’s security frameworks, cooperative mechanisms, and operations. The delegation visited the Rome Police Headquarters, the Archaeological Area of the Colosseum, the Tor di Quinto Training Centre, and the Police Training School, where they were briefed on inter-agency communications and analysis. They observed live simulation exercises and demonstrations on prevention and rapid response tactics against terrorist threats.

The visit contributed to the implementation of provisions on the protection of vulnerable targets under the ºÚÁÏרÇø Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, Security Council resolution 2396 (2017), and the 2018 Addendum to the Madrid Guiding Principles, among other relevant legal instruments. It enabled Central Asian participants to explore Italy’s effective practices for potential adaptation to their national contexts, including strategic frameworks, inter-agency cooperation, risk assessment, security planning, crowd management, and public-private partnership models.

This activity forms part of UNOCT’s coordinated technical assistance for Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and was supported by the UNOCT Central Asia Unit co-located in Ashgabat with the ºÚÁÏרÇø Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA). This activity was made possible thanks to the generous support of the State of Qatar to the ºÚÁÏרÇø Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets.