1 ^st February 2019, Hong Kong (SAR). UNODC concluded a one week aviation security training on 'Cargo and Mail' in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The training was held in favour of Pakistani and Cambodian officers assigned to newly set up Air Cargo Control Units (ACCUs) at Lahore and Phnom Penh International Airports.

The event was organized under the framework of the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme, which aims to establish interagency profiling units to effectively identify high-risk consignments at airports and seaports.

The course was generously hosted by the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy; and certified instructors from ICAO delivered a week-long training on i) cargo security context, ii) air cargo secure supply chain, iii) security control measures and required training, iv) airport and air cargo screening, v) cargo chain of custody, vi) oversight, compliance, and quality control, and vii) security of mail, among other topics.

The training is part of the larger curricula package the UNODC-WCO CCP delivers for new units joining the programme. The overall training package includes several weeks of theoretical and practical training; followed by advanced training on specific subjects such as strategic goods, CITES, and aviation security. Once a unit has received the full package, over a timespan of six months to a year, the unit is expected to be proficient in detecting and intercepting consignments containing any type of contraband, particularly restricted or prohibited goods.

Currently the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme is active in 52 countries. Since its launch in 2004, globally it has contributed to the seizure/discovery of 265 tons of cocaine; 6,079 kg of heroin; 71 tons of cannabis; 1,710 tons of precursors (for drugs and explosives); 820 cases of intellectual property rights violation; 152 cases of environmental crime; 90 shipments of strategic and dual-use items; and 1,499 shipments involving other infractions (i.e. fiscal fraud, stolen vehicles, etc.). 

The current implementation of the Container Control Programme in Pakistan is funded by the Governments of Japan and the United States.