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The Challenge:
By its very nature, transnational crime crosses national borders. Effective border control is therefore one key element in combating transnational organized crime.
In the coming decade, export-driven growth and major regional infrastructure upgrades in Southeast Asia, including those associated with the ASEAN Connectivity Masterplan, will concentrate resources along "development corridors." While these trends will generally be positive in terms of lowering overall trade costs and boosting economic growth, they will also provide increased opportunities for transnational organized crime.
What we do:
Regional Integration and Border Management
The regional roadmap for connectivity, such as the ASEAN Community 2015 and Greater Mekong Sub-Region Transport Master Plan, includes major upgrades in infrastructure and initiatives to promote a freer movement of people and goods. Entry and exit points at border crossings will be increasingly pressed by the need to ensure efficient movements while also guaranteeing the legality of these movements.
Border control officers in this region remain ill-equipped, making it difficult to combat the trafficking of people, narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals, wildlife, timber and counterfeit goods in a comprehensive manner. At the same time, the flows of people and cargo are growing bigger and moving faster, illustrating the need for increasing the fundamental knowledge, information and operational capacity among frontline officers.
UNODC strengthens border management in the region, including cross-border collaboration by:
The Need for Border Liaison Offices in Southeast Asia
Transnational organised crime crosses national borders, and slowing or stopping illicit movements of people and goods remains a top priority for law enforcement agencies. Increased cross-border cooperation through the UNODC Border Liaison Office (BLO) network is a key element in tackling transnational threats in Southeast Asia.
The UNODC's current BLO network can be seen in the map below.
The Impact of Border Liaison Offices
UNODC supports over 70 BLOs throughout Southeast Asia. The combination of common training, tools, systems and equipment provided to BLOs helps countries in the region accomplish the following goals:
