The Judicial Cooperation Network for Central Asia and Southern Caucasus (CASC) was launched in 2014 by UNODC in cooperation with the governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The network brings together criminal justice practitioners appointed by central authorities of member countries, who serve as national contact points. The network is implemented by the Global Programme for Strengthening Capacities of Member States to Prevent and Combat Transnational Organized and Serious Crime (GPTOC) in collaboration with the Regional Programme for Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus.
The CASC network supports inter-regional cooperation by facilitating informal consultations through its contact points and by promoting more efficient international cooperation in criminal matters. Through the CASC network secretariat, provided by UNODC, the contact points are able to liaise with other networks and central authorities for informal consultations and they can be approached by their foreign counterparts for the same purposes.
The contact points can seek or provide support in drafting mutual legal assistance and extradition requests, and provide, seek or obtain information about the status of the execution of a request; identify challenges impeding the execution of requests, and point out solutions to overcome arising problems and gaps. The network holds yearly plenary meetings in one of the network’s member countries or on UNODC’s premises in Vienna. Moreover, relevant countries and stakeholders may be invited to attend CASC plenary meetings and other activities convened by the network as a way to strengthen inter-regional judicial cooperation and expedite the execution of MLA/extradition requests. The network also organizes different activities (i.e. seminars, training, and workshops) to improve the capacities of CASC members in areas of cross-border crime prevention, investigation, and prosecution as well as judicial cooperation. Joint activities are held with key partners and stakeholders, such as the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre (CARICC), the South East Asia Justice Network (SEAJust), the West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors (WACAP), the European Judicial Network (EJN), the Ibero-American Legal Cooperation Network (IberRed) and others.
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CASC Annual Plenary Meeting, 1-2 June 2022
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Communications from central authorities regarding working and emergency measures as a result of the health crisis caused by COVID-19. To access the list of emergency measures, please address a request to unodc-mla.facilitators@un.org and luisfrancisco.dejorgemesas@un.org.