South Asia: Advocating a stronger BIMSTEC-SARICC Partnership

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Kathmandu, Nepal/June 14, 2018: The UNODC Regional Office for South Asia pushed for a strong collaboration between the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and South Asia Regional Intelligence Sharing and Coordination Centre (SARICC) at the "Fifth Meeting of BIMSTEC Sub-Group on Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in NDPS and Precursor Chemicals" held recently in Nepal.

Providing a detailed overview of India's national drug control strategy, Mr. Devendra Dutt, Consultant, Law Enforcement at UNODC briefed participants on the emerging trafficking trends and pattern of various drugs, such as heroin, cannabis and cocaine. Underscoring the key threats and challenges emanating from the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent (the two largest areas of illicit opium production in the world), Mr. Dutt revealed how ocean routes were being increasingly used for trafficking and smuggling of illicit drugs. 

In an engaging presentation, Mr. Dutt also delved on the background, objectives and functions of SARICC, and shared the advantages of a proposed association with BIMSTEC.

Extending support to the initiative, the Director of the BIMSTEC Secretariat, Mr. Pankaj Hazarika, stated that a BIMSTEC-SARICC partnership will be duly considered and a recommendation in this regard shall be placed by the Secretariat before the next meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC). 

The Fifth Meeting of the BIMSTEC Sub-Group on Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemicals was held in Kathmandu at the invitation of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Delegations from the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Republic of India, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Thailand participated in the Meeting.