The ISTC Governing Board (GB) held its 69th Meeting on 20th November 2019 in Yerevan, Armenia.

The Governing Board met to discuss the progress made by ISTC in the last 6 months, in respect to the work of the Science Advisory Committee (SAC), ISTC's implementation of the Parties targeted initiatives and activities, to review this year budget execution and to approve the 2020 Administrative and Supplemental budgets and to begin discussing the Working Groups work on ISTC's new outreach strategy for future direction under a five year road map.   At the meeting the Governing Board approved a total of 6 new funded projects for a total of US$770,340 and Euro600,000, with the EU formally approving funding for two new Central Asian Regional Water Management Projects (TJ2409 & TJ2412) for Euro300,00 each and one Tajik Regional project (TJ2512) on Nuclear Safeguards for US$488,265. The Japanese Party approved 2 new Kazakh Projects (KZ2516 & KZ2514) and one Georgian Project (GE2513) for US$250,340, US$400,000 and US$120,000 respectively.   

This year sees ISTC's 25th Anniversary and in celebration of the event ISTC set up a competition  award for young scientists and engineers to apply and produce a paper based on the theme of "World and Regional Security Issues"  The three winners of the main ISTC Competition were awarded their prizes and Certificates during the Governing Board meeting with 2 winners from Armenia (1st & 3rd)  and the second place going to a Tajik Scientist award winner. 2 other winners in the Georgian only category competition were recognized and the Japanese Party also agreed to sponsor a scientific mission to Japan for 1 week for up to 5 award winners.

The 69th Governing Board (GB) also saw the last GB meeting of Mr. Eddie Maier the EU GB Member who is retiring at the end of this year and who has been ever present on the ISTC Board since December 2012 at ISTC's 56th Governing Board Meeting.