UNODC and the Government of Pakistan convene successful regional border cooperation meeting

 

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Government of Pakistan organized a Paris Pact Expert Working Group meeting on regional cooperation in Islamabad on 21-22 June 2011. Attended by more than 69 participants from 30 countries and organizations, UNODC experts from Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Headquarters, the meeting resulted in consensual operational and concrete recommendations to enhance controlled deliveries and related frameworks. These recommendations will now be submitted for final approval by the Paris Pact Policy Consultative Group Meeting in Vienna later this year.


A partnership of more than 50 countries and international organizations, the Paris Pact Initiative is aimed at combating Afghan opiates trafficking, consumption and related problems in the affected priority countries along the Afghan opiates trafficking routes. The Expert Working Group meeting took place under the Paris Pact consultative mechanism, which facilitates periodical consultations at the expert and policy level between partners, in order to jointly discuss, identify and set in motion concrete measures to stem the increasing level of opiates trafficked from Afghanistan.


Jeremy Douglas, Representative UNODC, stressed the importance of themes covered by the expert working group meeting "To effectively counter transnational organized crime, law enforcement agencies need procedures that can define this cooperation. This is perhaps most crucial and obvious in light of the common challenges faced by the trafficking of Afghan opiates, that Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to due to its proximity to Afghanistan."


"Pakistan has been actively participating in controlled delivery operations and the success of these operations depends on trust between countries and I see this developing at least in the region. Pakistan assures you of its continued cooperation and commitment to sincerely continue the fight against drug trafficking" stated Major General Syed Shakeel Hussain, Director General, Anti Narcotics Force, as he closed the meeting.


The Paris Pact 3rd Ministerial Meeting will take place on 8 December 2011 in Vienna to review progress made to counter the trafficking of Afghan opiates and define the way forward.