Bolivia, Brazil and UNODC strengthen cooperation  in order to combat drug trafficking and organized crime

April 6, 2011 - The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bolivia will receive $ 100,000 for the implementation of public policies to combat drug trafficking and organized crime. The announcement was made by the Brazilian Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardozo on an official visit to Bolivia during the VII Bolivia-Brazil Joint Commission on Drugs and Related Topics in La Paz, held on March 30.
The governments of Bolivia and Brazil also took the opportunity to renew the bilateral police cooperation agreement until 2013; to approve the decisions of the 7th meeting of the Technical Joint Committee on drugs and related issues; and to sign a memorandum of understanding to exchange information about the implementation of an observatory of money laundering.
During the meeting, the Brazilian minister also talked about the establishment of a Police Training Centre in cooperation with UNODC and about the two countries' intention to invite Peru to be part of a joint initiative to combat drugs.
The Brazilian delegation must return to Bolivia later this month to discuss other cooperation projects, including the reactivation of the Border Committee Corumbá-Puerto Suarez, to strengthen the integration of the two countries, especially with regards to combating crime.
According to the United Nations (UN), coca cultivation in Bolivia occupies 30,900 acres, out of which only 12000 are considered legal (production for  Andean religious rituals). The country is considered the third largest producer of cocaine, after Colombia and Peru. Brazil and Bolivia share a border of 3,100 km.

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