Container Control Programme sets up priorities in Central Asia during COVID-19 period

In June 2020, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Central Asia conducted a series of online Coordination Group Meetings in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan under UNODC-World Customs Organization (WCO) Global Container Control Programme (CCP). The purpose of the meetings was to hold consultations with CCP beneficiary agencies in Central Asia to review CCP progress in the region and agree on future cooperative initiatives including distance learning activities for 2020.

As such online consultations took place with the representatives from the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan on 2 June 2020, the Chairperson of the State Customs Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic on 3 June 2020, representatives from the National Information-analytical Center on Drug Control under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan and  the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 3 June 2020, representatives from the State Revenue Committee  of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 4 June 2020, and representatives from the Customs Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Drug Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan on 25 June 2020.

During the meetings, Mr. Batyr Geldiyev, UNODC Regional Programme Coordinator stressed that due to the spread of the COVID-19, conducting full-time training within the framework of CCP will be postponed for several months. At the same time, in order to prevent the use of the cargo supply chain by organized criminal groups for illegal purposes, and to ensure the continuity of theprogramme implementation, CCP initiated adaptation of its training strategy to the current situation by organizing: (1) eLearning modules, (2) online theoretical training and (3) remote mentorship. As a result of the consultations, UNODC and CCP beneficiary agencies agreed on CCP work-plan of distance learning activities for Central Asia for 2020. CCP participating countries also supported future regional and inter-regional activities under Inter-Regional Network of Customs Administrations and Port Control Units.  

The CCP Regional Segment for Central Asia is funded by the Government of Japan and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Programme.