UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme continues enhancing the national capacity of Customs Situation centre in Kazakhstan

On 12-16 February 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Central Asia (UNODC ROCA) conducted the Basic practical training for ten representatives of the Situation centre of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana, Kazakhstan. The training was.

The training, organized under the UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme (CCP), aimed to enhance practical knowledge and skills of the officers of the Situation centre on profiling and targeting of high-risk consignments and detecting illicit shipments, and documenting and cargo examination techniques. The future CCP National Targeting Centre to be set up at the Situation centre of Kazakhstan’s Customs in 2024 will be staffed by the training participants.

Welcoming the training participants, Mr. Kayrat Zhumagulov, Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic Kazakhstan, stressed the sustained successful cooperation between Kazakh Customs, UNODC and WCO to achieve remarkable results in countering trafficking of goods and economic violations as well as criminal cross-border activities whilst securing legitimate trade and revenue. According to the State Revenue Committee a new joint initiative on establishing the National Targeting Centre will reinforce the national efforts aimed at mitigating the border-related risks comprehensively and streamlining the coordinated approach to risk assessment, analysis, and targeting activity.        

Through the sessions led by WCO training experts, Mr. Svetlan Savov, and Mr. Rafal Pryk the participants became familiar with a range of issues related to risk assessment and management, drugs and precursors, tobacco smuggling, and EU best practices in establishing and operating the Strategic analysis centres. The participants in their turn presented the capabilities of the Situation centre in the operating of the automated risk management system and organizing examination procedures as well as an ongoing process of targeting, risk analysis, and Xray image interpretation of inbound cargo in real time. The advantages of the WCO ContainerCOMM, a secured communication channel, as well as its opportunities offered for information sharing and data exchange with law enforcement bodies globally were also discussed. Practical exercises on profiling the Customs documents were held as part of the event.

The Basic practical training is arranged in line with the recommendations of the technical needs assessment mission to the Situation Centre of the State Revenue Committee conducted on 10-12 April 2023 and as a follow up to the Basic Theoretical training organized on 5-9 June 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The CCP Regional Segment for Central Asia is funded by 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, as well as the Governments of France and Japan.