DUSHANBE, September 20, 2012, Asia-Plus – A five-day course for Afghan and Tajik customs officers co-organized with the Austrian Finance Ministry opened the new academic year at the OSCE Border Management Staff College.
Press release issue dby the OSCE Office in Tajikistan says 14 trainees were awarded with certificates for successful completion of the training program on September 19.
The course examined the best practices of EU countries with respect to the operation of central risk analysis units, including defining structures, tasks and scope of work. It provided an overview of the sources of information necessary for risk analysis and customs intelligence, while the practical sessions focused on concrete cases of infringement detection.
“The EU represents the interests of 27 countries. These interests unite as one in terms of customs control. Here we discussed the important details of this successful collaboration and possibilities for further development of the regional co-operation between Afghanistan and Central Asia in this field,” said Helmut Wiesenfellner, a tax and customs expert at the Austrian Finance Ministry.
This course is one of nine planned for the remainder of 2012 to be held at the OSCE Border Management Staff College. Some of these courses will be organized with the College’s partner organizations such as the UNHCR Regional Centre for Emergency Preparedness, UNDP, the World Customs Organization, the Austrian Finance Ministry and the Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation (ISN). They will focus on the development of customs and border management services.
“We are glad to announce the opening of the new season of studies at our College. These capacity-building initiatives for border agencies aim at strengthening the security situation throughout the OSCE region and beyond,” said Julia Klaus, the Director of the OSCE Border Management Staff College.
“As the College grows and develops, it attracts more and more attention from the OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation, and the number of our partners has increased. I believe that these joint initiatives will help to improve cross-border cooperation and ensure delivery of expertise and best practices in border management and security.”
The next one-month Border Management Staff Course, the core activity of the College for high ranking officers and managers of border guard, customs and drug control agencies in OSCE participating States and Partners for Cooperation, will be held from October 1 to October 26.
