Nepal: UNODC establishes new Air Cargo Control Unit at Tribhuvan International Airport 

 

Kathmandu, Nepal/06 August 2019: UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, together with the Government of Nepal, officially opened an Air Cargo Control Unit (ACCU) at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Under the umbrella of the Container Control Programme (CCP)--a joint initiative of UNODC and the World Customs Organization (WCO)--the dedicated Unit will start conducting systematic risk assessment work at the airport in the near future. This includes selection and inspection of high-risk consignments in order to both facilitate the flow of legal trade by minimizing unnecessary delays and increase security at the airport and in the wider supply chain.

More than forty Customs officials from various divisions of the Department of Customs attended the ceremony. Director General Rameshwar Dangal presided over the opening ceremony. He stressed the need for this kind of law enforcement unit at TIA and confirmed continued support of the CCP.

He thanked UNODC and WCO for the implementation of the Programme in Nepal, and especially the U.S. Department of State and its Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Programme for funding this important initiative.