DUSHANBE, February 29, 2012, Asia-Plus — A two-day conference on ways to enhance border management and cross-border cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan that took place in Dushanbe on February 28-29 resulted in adoption of a final declaration.
We will recall that the Embassy of Japan and the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan hosted the conference under support of EU/UNDP BOMCA and BOMNAF Programs.
According to the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan, the declaration gathering recommendations from the conference will be submitted to the next Japan-EU Senior Officials” Meeting.
The Final Declaration reportedly reflects the importance of legitimate trade and transit as one of the pillars alleviating poverty and supporting sustainable economic growth in the region, the importance of border management and cross-border cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan governments and border services at different levels (including community-based), readiness for further support of both countries governments’ efforts in an action-oriented manner, including as regards information exchange, as well as the necessity for social welfare and local development opportunities.
Designed within the framework of initiatives identified at the EU-Japan summits that took respectively place in Tokyo on 28 April 2010 and in Brussels on 28 May 2011, the conference brought together representatives from relevant ministries, customs and border guard services of both countries, NGOs of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, as well as Dushanbe international community to discuss border security and control and foster cross-border cooperation between Tajik and Afghan authorities in Border Management and Trade Facilitation through the initiation of exchange of experiences and best practices.
Representatives of ministries and services highlighted cooperation between Border Services and the role of Customs Services in securing borders and facilitation of trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, presented EU General Strategy for the region, including border management in Central Asia and Northern Afghanistan, trade facilitation and regional cooperation. Activities of the Border Control of Japan’s Customs, which is based on risk management, were also presented.
The conference also considered issues related to on the drug situation in the region, countermeasures against illegal immigrants in Japan, and the role of cross-border cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction.
Officials of the EU, Russian Federation, USA, GIZ, UNDP, OSCE, UNODC and UNOPS presented related international and local initiatives and contributions in the region, initiated discussions on requirements for technical assistance, coordination of efforts and possibilities for development of synergies.
The European Union is the world’s biggest aid donor. Tajikistan gets the main share of bilateral assistance in the Central Asian region (EUR 66 million for 2007-2010 and 62 million for 2011-2013) in support to sector programs, technical assistance and grants. It focuses on social protection, health and private sector development, underpinned by public finance management. Tajikistan also receives regional and thematic assistance in areas like border management and drug control (BOMCA/CADAP), education (TEMPUS, Erasmus Mundus), water / environment, migration, human rights and democracy (EIDHR), non-State actors (NSA) and SME development (CA-Invest). The total value of the EU assistance disbursed to Tajikistan since 1992 is over EUR 550 million.
The overall objectives of the BOMCA Program are to help increase security in the Central Asian region, to contribute toward the facilitation of legitimate trade and transit and to reduce the illicit movement of goods and people. BOMCA is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP.
The objective of the BOMNAF Project is to reinforce border management capacity and trans-border cooperation in the Northern Provinces of Afghanistan. The project intends to improve cross border cooperation, the capacity to reduce crime and improve legal trade, travel and commerce along Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. BOMNAF is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP.
