Practical cooperation and best practices sharing take place among Air Cargo Control Units of Kazakhstan and Pakistan, and Port Control Units of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

On 5-9 September 2022, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Central Asia (UNODC ROCA) jointly with the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan (SRC) organized an exchange visit for the SRC representatives, including the members of the  Air Cargo Control Unit (ACCU) from Zhetysu Customs post of Almaty international airport in Kazakhstan to ACCUs of Lahore and Karachi international airports in Pakistan within the framework of the UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme (CCP).   

The visit aimed at learning the best practice of Pakistan in air cargo control and risk management, as well as strengthening regional practical cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan, including information exchange on high-risk consignments within the Inter-Regional Network (IREN) of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units of CCP.

The ACCU officers visited Customs administrations of Lahore and Karachi airports and conducted meetings with senior management of the posts, additional collectors, and members of ACCUs including Customs, Antinarcotics Force and Civil Aviation authorities. Participants learned the national Customs regulations, procedures of goods clearance released for export/import/transshipments and cargo examination. The Customs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan demonstrated excellent collaboration with World Wildlife Fund and partnership with private sector, shipping companies, and the fast courier service, in sharing the intelligence and expertise for effective case investigations.  

On 6-8 September 2022 another exchange visit for the officers of the Customs Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan was organized by UNODC ROCA within the framework of CCP to the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The exchange visit was aimed at sharing the best practices of Uzbekistan in container/cargo control; holding working consultations on strengthening the inter-regional practical cooperation, including exchange of information on high-risk cargo within the CCP Inter-Regional Network of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units (PCUs); and visiting “Tekhkontora Chukursay” and “Yallama” Port Control Units, “Oybek” Customs post in Tashkent city and Tashkent region, and ”Aviayuklar” Air Cargo Control Unit at Tashkent International Airport to familiarize with their operation and strengthen practical cooperation.

The work and successes of the ACCU and PCUs on profiling the cargo and the exchange of information, with practicalities of the recent successful cases was demonstrated to the colleagues from other countries of the region within the framework of the CCP Inter-Regional Network of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units (IREN).

The participants of the visit were able to learn from Uzbekistan’s field practices the adoption of the new legislative innovations in Customs system, which allowed to start the work on integrating the cargo information systems of the Uzbek railway company with the Customs information systems to ensure the entry of a cargo pre-arrival information flow into this systems at the posts in an automated fashion as part of the legal trade facilitation concept.

At the meetings with Chiefs of Regional Customs Departments for Tashkent city and Tashkent region, the parties discussed and agreed upon the wide spectrum of mutual practical collaboration within the various elements of the UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme, including cooperation in the framework of the IREN and secure communication system ContainerCOMM. The parties reiterated their commitment to sustain the closest practical interaction between national focal points (NFPs) and PCUs of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in sharing the information and identifying and suppressing high-risk consignments moved through the shared Customs borders.

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.

For further information please contact:

Arifa Fatikhova 

Communications and External Relations Officer

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Regional Office for Central Asia

Mobile: (+998 93) 505-05-58 | Email: arifa.fatikhova[a]un.org