On 4–7 October 2022, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek in cooperation with CRISP, an organization that develops and applies the method of simulation-gaming to the fields of conflict transformation, civic education, and citizen participation, organized a Certificate Training on Climate Change and Conflict. Participants of the training were 22 researchers, activists, experts, and junior and mid-level professionals from civil society, NGOs, and governmental organizations from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan. The training course was led by Oliver Wiechmann, an international consultant, trainer, and project manager at CRISP, and Dr. Rahat Sabyrbekov, Post-Doc Fellow and Lecturer at the OSCE Academy.
The course aimed to provide participants with a comprehensive insight into the impact of climate change on the Central Asian region with a focus on (societal) conflict lines. During the course, participants learned to identify and analyze potential conflicts arising from the impact of climate change in their country's contexts and the region as a whole. The methodological approach of the training included a simulation game giving a chance to participants to engage in decision-making processes in the planning and execution of adaptation and mitigation measures in affected areas.