Training in Myanmar on border management
Yangon (Myanmar), 11 December 2009 - The Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) organized, on 25 and 26 November 2009, two workshops for border officers with support provided through the UNODC project "
Consolidation and Enhancement of the Border Liaison Mechanism". A workshop on management and a workshop on evaluation and computer-based training were held at the Drug Elimination Museum in Yangon. Both workshops formed part of a long-term plan to strengthen the presence and operations of border liaison offices in Myanmar and cooperation with neighboring countries. This is the second of four activities to be conducted in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam in the framework of a
Memorandum of Understanding on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong sub-region.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Police Colonel Phone Kyaw Shwe, Joint Secretary of CCDAC, who, in front of 32 representatives from seven border liaison offices and CCDAC, thanked UNODC for its support and promised to continue to cooperate in future activities aimed at building a strong and efficient border office network.
"The border liaison offices in Myanmar have gone through a stop-and-go process that slowed down any sustainable progress," said Songsatit Kittikhunwatchana, UNODC Project Coordinator, "The problems faced in Myanmar are similar to those encountered within the region, namely weaknesses in areas of management and human and financial resources. However, a series of unsettling events, including natural disasters, insecurity and political instability, in the last five years have prevented the border liaison offices to effectively display their full potential. Close monitoring and regular support will be needed to ensure sustainability for future activities".
This workshop was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the UNODC Computer-Based Training Unit in Bangkok, staff of the project "Consolidation and Enhancement of the Border Liaison Mechanism" and the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control. Since 1997, the Computer-Based Training Unit in Bangkok has coordinated the implementation of training courses in over 52 countries delivered from over 300 training centres worldwide.
