Remote mentoring and awareness-raising on COVID-19 vaccines for the Port Control Units in Central Asia

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (UNODC ROCA) organized remote mentorship programme for Port Control Units in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan under the UNODC-WCO (World Customs Organization) Global Container Control Programme (CCP). As such officers from the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan, members of Port Control Units (PCUs) in Ashgabat International Customs Terminal and Turkmenbashi International Seaport participated in the online event from 19 to 20 January 2021 and officers from the State Customs Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, PCU members from Aktau seaport and Altynkol dry port attended the training from 21 to 22 January 2021.

At the opening ceremony Mr. Batyr Geldiyev, UNODC Regional Programme Coordinator for Central Asia, stated that the aim of regular mentorships is a to warrant sustainability of the programme, ensure that PCUs are functioning well, provide some advice in their real work environment and secondly to ensure that officials who become newly part of unit are being adequately trained and have the same level of skills as their colleagues.

Experienced WCO experts shared the best practices on detecting manipulation of seals, concealments as well as selecting and examining containers. The PCU officers conducted risk analysis of commercial documents and pre-arrival information data on real cases. Special attention was paid to the fake medicines production, the supply chain of counterfeit pharmaceutical products and the means of their identification. PCU team leader in Aktau seaport reported on a successful profiling work and a seizure of hookah tobacco smuggled in container during the training.

On 26 January 2021, PCU members in Central Asia had an opportunity to participate in an awareness-raising webinar on COVID-19 vaccines organized by WCO in cooperation with Pfizer pharmaceutical company. The fight against the COVID virus is a common goal and it is not only a fight against the virus but also a fight against criminal organizations that are taking advantage of the situation and are making huge profits and jeopardizing the health of citizens even more. The PCU members had a unique opportunity to learn about the supply chain of COVID-19 vaccines and the dangers of illicit vaccines.

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.

 

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Shakhnoza Zafari

Communication and External Relations Officer

Mobile: +998935547895

Email: shakhnoza.zafari[at]un.org