DUSHANBE, March 20, 2014, Asia-Plus — The Third Steering Committee Meeting of the Regional Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries (Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), presided over by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) head Yury Fedotov, took place in Vienna, Austria on March 18.
According to the Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA) press center, ambassadors and representatives of donor countries and the European Union also attended the meeting.
The meeting participants reportedly discussed the results of implementation of the program and endorsed the plan of further implementation of the program in 2014-2015.
Speaking at the meeting, Tajik drug control chief Rustam Nazarov informed those present about measures taken by the Government of Tajikistan to implement the program.
Nazarov also drew attention of the meeting participants to the necessity of strengthening border security, improving technical equipment of counternarcotics agencies, holding joint measures, including “checked deliveries [of drugs],” and training counternarcotics officers, the DCA press center said.
UNODC senior representatives and representatives of donor countries and international organizations reportedly positively assess the progress of implementation of the program and expressed readiness to continue financing of it.
The Regional Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries is a key component of UNODC”s inter-regional approach, which connects UNODC initiatives for the regions affected by drugs from Afghanistan, including West and Central Asia, South-Eastern Europe, the Gulf region and East Africa.
This inter-regional approach aims to foster enhanced exchange of intelligence, upgraded training capacities, more effective action against drug-related financial flows and money laundering, and expanded maritime cooperation.
Since its launch in December 2011, the Regional Program has stimulated new law enforcement cooperation initiatives, including: the maritime regional cooperation, addressing the opiate trafficking via maritime routes; the Regional Intelligence Working Group on Precursors dealing with illicit precursor flows into Afghanistan; and the Afghanistan-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Initiative boosting operational collaboration on the Northern trafficking route.
