In first official trip to Central Asia, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Christophe Kamp visits Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Christophe Kamp has concluded his first official visit to Central Asia in his capacity as High Commissioner, which took place from 14 to 24 May 2025.

In Dushanbe, he met with representatives at various levels of government, as well as with representatives of civil society organizations and the international community in Dushanbe.

In Bishkek and Osh, the High Commissioner met with senior government officials, civil society organizations, community leaders and international partners.

During his visit to Osh, he visited a school implementing multilingual education, where he observed how inclusive teaching methods are supporting children in learning both their mother tongue and the Kyrgyz state language. Teachers reported that multilingual education had improved students’ confidence, participation and academic engagement.

Kamp shared insights from this school visit during his subsequent meetings with parliamentarians in Bishkek, where they discussed how multilingual education can promote the development of an inclusive society and strengthen national unity. The High Commissioner took the opportunity of his visit to contribute to ongoing dialogue on integrating multilingual education into Kyrgyzstan’s forthcoming 12-year education reform.

The High Commissioner intends to dedicate attention to the implementation of multilingual education in Central Asia and hopes that potential solutions to outstanding challenges may offer significant opportunities for regional co-operation. As he prepares to extend his engagement in the region in the coming months, he looks forward to contributing to the integration of Central Asia’s diverse societies.