On 18 January Dr. Michael Lambert, Associate Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy, delivered a Public Lecture titled “Rethinking the Interaction between Cryptocurrencies and Citizen Empowerment in Central Asia”. In the first part of the lecture, Dr. Lambert provided brief information on Cryptocurrency and indicated the strengths and weaknesses of Cryptocurrencies in the context of Central Asian countries.

Nuria Kutnaeva is alumna of 2005, MA Programme in Politics and Security from Kyrgyzstan. Director and Founder of the Public Foundation "DigitalTechnology”. Nuria introduced the electronic interoperability system “Tunduk” in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Rashid Gabdulhakov is a graduate of 2013 of the MA Programme in Politics and Security from Uzbekistan. This year Rashid received the Alumnus of the Year 2021 Award for his professional development and achievements after the graduation from the OSCE Academy. On 7 October 2021, Rashid successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Digital Vigilantism in Russia: Citizen-led Justice in the Context of Social Change and Social Harm” and obtained a PhD degree in Media and Communication (Cum Laude). Upon defending, Rashid became an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

From 13 till 17 December the OSCE Academy conducted a Project Management training (advance level) for alumni, led by Mr. Peteris Rimss, from the Latvian National Project Management Association (LNPMA) and a Trainer with more than 15 years of experience in the field. This was an intensive 5-day training for graduates of the OSCE Academy, who already have some experience in Project management either in International Organizations, International Non-Governmental Organizations, or other institutions, and needed to advance their knowledge of Project Management for further professional growth.