The Container Control Programme strengthens capacity of Situation Centre at the Customs of the Republic of Kazakhstan 

On 5-9 June 2023, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Central Asia  (UNODC ROCA) conducted the Basic theoretical training for the representatives of the Situation Centre of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme (CCP), in Astana, Kazakhstan.  

The training was organized jointly with the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the purpose of enhancing theoretical knowledge of the officers of the Situation Centre on profiling and targeting of high-risk consignments and detecting illicit shipments, document and cargo examination techniques. It is expected that participants of the training will represent the CCP National Targeting Centre to be set up at the Situation centre of Kazakh Customs.

Welcoming the training participants, Mr. Marat Kabdushev, deputy head of the Department on Customs methodology of the Committee, expressed appreciation to the UNODC and WCO for the sustainable contribution to the improving of national capacity of Customs officers in Kazakhstan and reaffirmed the readiness of Kazakh Customs to set up the National Targeting Centre at the Central Apparatus to boost the operational capacities of the CCP Port Control Units and Air Cargo Control Units and information sharing among the CCP participating countries under the CCP Inter-Regional Network of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units.

Training sessions were led by the WCO training experts, Mr. Svetlan Savov, and Ms. Akosita Valamalua, trained participants on a range of issues related to risk assessment and management, insider threat and seal manipulation, WCO Container Convention 1972, drugs, and precursors. Participants have also learned about the WCO ContainerCOMM, secured communication channel for information sharing and participated in practical exercises on bill of ladings, and container tracking.   

The Basic training was the follow up of the technical assessment mission to the Situation Centre of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan conducted in Astana, Kazakhstan organized on 10-12 April 2023. The National Targeting Centre at the Customs of the Republic of Kazakhstan will be the first CCP piloting centre in Central Asian region. The Centre will help to increase the efficiency of national customs service to detect high-risk consignment all over the country, to coordinate intelligence-informed and operational activities and to institutionalize the practical collaboration mechanisms among countries.  This outcome was fixed in the Joint Declaration of the Heads and Authorized Officials of Customs authorities adopted at the Seventh Annual Meeting under the CCP Inter-Regional Network of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units, held on 25-26 May 2022 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

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, and the Government of France.

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 99) 825-05-43 | Email: arifa.fatikhova[at]un.org