On 23 November, as part of her visit to Uzbekistan, Ms. Ghada Waly, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations/UNODC Executive Director, participated in a roundtable meeting of representatives of the border services of Central Asian states held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The meeting was organized by UNODC in partnership with the Border Troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan to promote further integrated border management and ensure security around emerging trade and transit corridors.
The event brought together senior officials from border and drug control agencies, foreign ministries across the region and UNODC.
Ms. Ghada Waly commended the engagement and openness of the Central Asian governments in the region in cooperating with UNODC in implementing its integrated mandates addressing drugs, transnational organized crime, corruption and terrorism.
“Strengthening cross-border and regional cooperation has been an integral part of UNODC’s work through the Programme for Central Asia 2015-2021 and will remain a key element of the next programme cycle. As regional integration increases, regional border management and collaboration must increase too - to stop transnational criminal groups from exploiting new connections, infrastructure, and networks,” said Ms. Ghada Waly in her welcoming remarks.
“Close international cooperation and concerted efforts are key to countering emerging security challenges and threats effectively. In the present geopolitical realities, holding this event and providing a platform for a constructive dialogue will make a significant contribution to ensuring security,” said Colonel Salimjon Khusanov, Commander of the Border Troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in his welcoming speech.
During the meeting, Ms. Ghada Waly held consultations with the roundtable participants to identify recommendations and prospects for developing programmes aimed to enhance integrated border management and cross-border cooperation and support capacity-building efforts in the border areas, including in the context of the recent developments in Afghanistan.
Based on these consultations, the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia will develop an integrated border management strategy encompassing all aspects of trafficking of drugs, small arms and light weapons, preventing trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, illicit financial flows as well as preventing the movement of foreign terrorist fighters.
UNODC in Central Asia utilizes a mechanism of an integrated response to drug-related challenges and border security issues. The organization’s initiatives strengthen national and regional law enforcement interagency coordination and cooperation by establishing Border Liaison Offices, Port Control Units, border posts and outposts, and Interagency Mobile Teams in the Central Asian states.
The roundtable meeting was conducted by the Cross-Border Cooperation Component of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia. The initiative focuses on enhancing the capacity of border crossing points and improving regional cross-border cooperation by promoting the Border Liaison Offices’ concept and the development of information and communication networks for border agencies.
To date, UNODC has supported the establishment of 19 Border Liaison Offices in geographically remote and potentially vulnerable border crossing points on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz (2), Uzbek-Tajik (6), Kyrgyz-Tajik (4), Kyrgyz-Uzbek (2), Uzbek-Afghan (1), Tajik-Afghan (2) and Kazakh-Uzbek (2) borders. Six BLOs are being established along the Kazakh-Kyrgyz, Tajik-Uzbek and Turkmen-Uzbek borders.
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For further information, please contact:
Nurangez Abdulhamidova
Communication and External Relations Officer
UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (Dushanbe)
Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org
