UNODC and CARICC convened the Regional Expert Meeting of the Heads of Analytical Units of Law Enforcement Agencies of Central Asia

On 2-3 August 2022 UNODC in cooperation with CARICC, convened the Regional Expert Meeting of the Heads of Analytical Units of Law Enforcement Agencies of Central Asia.

The purpose of the Expert Group Meeting was to provide a platform for beneficiary countries to exchange ideas, discuss common challenges and identify ways forward in fostering cross-border cooperation and information sharing.

The event was organized by the Cross-Border Cooperation Component of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia and included capacity development of staff of competent agencies of Central Asia in the field of strategic (statistical) analysis and prompt data collection, compilation, and exchange.   

The regional expert meeting was built upon recommendations elaborated within previous regional expert meeting conducted on 10 February 2022 where beneficiary countries requested further discussion and follow-up meeting.  

At the opening of the meeting, Mr. Yusuf Kurbonov, UNODC International Coordinator, said that he strongly believed that Regional Expert Meeting of the Heads of Analytical Units of Law Enforcement Agencies of Central Asia had become the much-needed platform on which specific proposals had been developed. Such proposals contributed to the growth and strengthening of capacity of analytical units in Central Asia.

The country delegates delivered presentations on current national mechanisms for responding to security threats and research capacity of their analytical units to forecast the dynamics of crime at the borders. The delegates focused on sharing updates on the main advancements and persisting challenges faced by their countries while countering illicit drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

Alongside with the country representatives, UNODC experts presented tools, methods and core indicators used by UNODC for drug data analysis. CARICC experts provided a detailed overview of existing analytical platforms and advanced software products that collect, process, store and analyze large amounts of information quickly, as well as visualize the results of data analysis, such as IBM i2, ArcGIS, Microsoft Power BI, etc. 

Moreover, during the meeting the questionnaire (a reporting template) intended for the Border Liaison Offices (BLO) was discussed. This tool intends to summarize and analyze information coming from the BLO activities. It was suggested to develop a single (consolidated and unified) form of the BLO questionnaire for all member - countries, which would contribute to the compilation of a common regional analysis of the situation at the borders and the activities of the BLO (including their success stories and challenges). The participants supported the idea of a single (consolidated and unified) form of the BLO questionnaire for all member-countries and recommended a separate expert meeting to study the matter in more depth. Having high interest in the analytical platforms and software products presented at the regional expert meeting, participants recommended to prepare an extended information regarding their functional capacity, as well as possible prospects for introducing them into the process of information analysis of the competent agencies of the Central Asia.

On the second day, expert group members focused on discussion of establishing a regional working group that would consist of a staff of analytical units of Central Asian countries. This working group would come up with an optimal architectural solution for a roadmap to develop national information communication networks and a regional information and communication network with coordinating role of CARICC. The adoption of such networks capable of integrating data and connecting countries across the region was recognized as an important, although very challenging, task. Considering the positive results of ongoing training courses aimed at increasing the analytical capacity of staff of competent agencies of Central Asia, beneficiary countries recommended UNODC to continue organizing such courses in the field of operational and strategic data analysis using specialized software and products.

Through an interactive discussion, the regional expert meeting presented an opportunity for beneficiary countries to formulate plans and recommendations. The participants exchanged their views and knowledge which in turn helped them to assess current technical and human capacities of their analytical units to implement rights-based, gender-sensitive, accountable and sustainable drug control policies. Through sessions focusing specifically on data analysis and capacity building, beneficiary countries were able to better identify their needs and focus on areas where support from UNODC is required.

The outcome of the Regional Expert Group Meeting was the report containing a summary of the discussion and set of recommendations that were aimed to foster cross-border cooperation and information sharing among Central Asian countries. The conclusions of the expert group meeting would also provide the basis for UNODC’s further support for the beneficiary countries.

The UNODC Regional Cross-Border initiative is financed by the Government of Japan.  

The Russian language version is here.

 

For more 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