The eighth conference of the Central Asia Border Security Initiative (CABSI) was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 30 September to 1 October 2009. Sponsored by the Government of Austria and the European Union, the conference brought together members of the international donor community, national counterparts and agencies involved in border security technical assistance to share best practice and coordinate efforts.

Three workshops were held in the framework of the conference on Integrated Border Management (IBM) strategies, training standards and cross-border cooperation. Mr. James Callahan, UNODC Regional Representative, gave a keynote speech highlighting the challenges and success in cross-border cooperation in Central Asia. The conference also provided an opportunity to increase the participants' knowledge of the Automated Donor Assistance Mechanism (ADAM) and to encourage them to make greater use of this tool for information sharing and coordination. Participants were also given the opportunity to tour the Customs Dog Training Centre in Tashkent.

The aim of annual CABSI gatherings is to progressively develop a comprehensive and sustainable integrated border management approach in Central Asia in order to improve border security, facilitate trade and promote economic development. The conference concluded with the adoption of consolidated recommendation which included, among other things, recoomendations for the continued support for the Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Centre (CARICC) and the increased use of ADAM.