The Passenger and Cargo Border Team (PCBT) enhances interregional practical cooperation and information exchange.

On 9-10 April 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) conducted jointly at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium the Sixth Expert-Level Meeting within the framework of the PCBT Inter-Regional Network of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units (IREN), in conjunction with the joint meeting with Customs experts of the European countries.

Experts from Customs Services and other competent authorities of the PCBT IREN member countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), and Bulgaria, Poland, Türkiye, and Italy, as well as UNODC and WCO, and donors of the programme made an overview of the goals, frameworks, and accomplishments of the PCBT IREN,
discussed current status, challenges, and improvement perspectives, and outlined further cooperation opportunities in data sharing among the Customs authorities of IREN and European countries on high-risk international consignments of mutual concern. The overall results, successes, challenges, and lessons learnt of the Interregional operation on preventing and suppressing the trafficking in dual-use items was also reviewed, with practical steps towards further enhancement of this collaboration outlined.

Mr. James McColm, Acting Director, Compliance and Facilitation Department, WCO Headquarters, in his welcoming remarks noted that the forum provides a good platform for exploring the perspectives to develop practical cooperation of IREN countries with the competent authorities of the European countries to establish international practical contacts for the exchange of information on high-risk shipments.

Mr. Julien Garsany, Representative, the UNODC Liaison Office in Brussels, noted that the use of legal international transport corridors and infrastructure for trafficking in drugs and other commodities remained amongst the most prominent challenges faced by Customs globally. He referred to the World Drug Report 2023, stating that the quantity of seized methamphetamine escalated from 2.5 tons in 2017 to a staggering 29.7 tons in 2021 and reiterated the UNODC’s continued commitment to support Member States in tackling these threats through integrated, scalable, and sustainable responses.

Mr. Bob Van Den Berghe, Deputy Head, PCBT, Border Management Branch, UNODC Headquarters noted the meeting as a good opportunity for Customs experts to share their views on prospects of how to build the working contacts for further data exchanges on suspicious shipments. He underlined the PCBT’s unique role in assisting member countries through bringing expertise and best practices and facilitating strategic and practical cooperation. The essence of the historical 2019 MoU on establishing the PCBT IREN as an effective treaty framework for direct cooperation amongst its members cannot therefore be underestimated. Mr. Bob Van Den Berghe reiterated PCBT’s commitment to further support the Governments’ endeavours in this area and conveyed an appreciation to the donor community for their generous and sustained funding support to ensure peace and security globally.

Mr. Robert Pazos, the U.S. EXBS Advisor, and Mr. Shinji Oda, First Secretary & Customs Attaché, Embassy of Japan in Belgium expressed as donor representatives their positive feedback on PCBT as a successful programme in the area of integrated border management, thanked for organizing a platform to strengthen the international law enforcement cooperation, and reiterated their further support to PCBT’s programme activities.


The meeting participants expressed their appreciation to UNODC and WCO for their longstanding and sustained support within the framework of PCBT IREN based on national needs and priorities. The further progress within the Network was reiterated as a crucial dedicated contribution of the Programme to countries’ efforts in preventing and suppressing illegal cross-border cargo movements and facilitating legitimate trade and pursuing a practical international cooperation on the matter.

The CCP Regional Segments for Central Asia, Southern Caucasus and Pakistan are funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the Export Control and Related Border Security Program (EXBS), as well as Governments of Japan and France.

More about Global PCBT at: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/ccp/index.html