On 07-09 September 2021, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Central Asia jointly with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan conducted the Regional Risk Management and Profiling Workshop for Central Asia in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Organized within UNODC-World Customs Organization (WCO) Global Container Control Programme, workshop brought together some 60 officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, including CCP National Focal Points from Customs and other law-enforcement and coordination agencies, as well as members of fourteen Port Control Units (PCUs) established at the priority dry and seaports and the Air Cargo Control Unit (ACCU) deployed at the Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan.
The workshop led by UNODC and WCO international experts, provided an excellent opportunity to further enhancement of practical knowledge and skills of PCU and ACCU members on risk management and profiling for drugs, precursors, dual use items other illegal goods, strategic risk mapping and assessment of trade supply chains, working with data, and exercising regional and international practical cooperation and information exchange in these areas based on existing WCO/UNODC tools and new initiatives.
During opening ceremony, Mr. Batyr Geldiyev, UNODC Regional Programme Coordinator noted that this workshop was the first CCP regional event organized in face-to-face mode in Central Asia following COVID-19 pandemic with some participants joining online aimed at further strengthening the knowledge and practical capacities of PCUs and ACCUs in the region on risk management and profiling issues.
Welcoming the event participants, Mr. Jakhongir Karimov, representative of National Information-Analytical Center on Drug Control under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Mr. Ramil Kontyukov, Deputy Head of Risk Assessment and Monitoring Department of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan have reiterated Government’s continuous commitment to be an active part of CCP initiatives and expressed confidence in further successful continuation of the Programme activities in the country.
The workshop topics covered various aspects of interest, including state of play and objectives of CCP; risk management and risk profiles and criteria; group country exercises on annual enforcement planning, development of risk profiles on narcotics, drug precursors, new psychoactive substances, and opioids for different modes of transport, which was followed by group discussions on interagency, regional, and international cooperation and information exchange.
Countries best practices on risk management systems, various WCO and UNODC sources and tools that contribute to regional and international cooperation within CCP were also presented.
During the closing ceremony, Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia reiterated that border control agencies are key in protecting the sovereignty, socio-economic interests of countries and societies, while promoting overall development and progress. In this regard, stressed the strong demand for continuous and sustained effective cargo control measures to fight against drug trafficking and other forms of illicit activity, while simultaneously streamlining cargo processing and other border-crossing procedures.
The CCP Regional Segment for Central Asia is funded by the Government of Japan and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Export Control and Related Border Security Program (EXBS).
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