Central Asian border and customs officials, international organizations, discuss challenges to border security and management emanating from Afghanistan at 17th Central Asian Border Management Initiative

Border security challenges in the Central Asian region, with an emphasis on the developments in Afghanistan and the resulting transnational threats affecting neighboring States, were the focus of the 17^th Central Asia Border Management Initiative (CABMI) Conference held from 13 to 15 December 2022 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The 17^th CABMI Conference was organized by the OSCE Secretariat, the Project Coordinator’s Office in Uzbekistan, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in close co-operation with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“Today’s CABMI Conference brings all relevant actors together to ensure that we continue to build on our partnerships. Together – through local engagement, national, regional, and international co-operation – we can make a real difference and improve security for communities across the OSCE area,” said OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid in a pre-recorded message to the participants.

“A vital component to prevent and counter transnational organized crime, terrorism, and illicit trafficking is enhanced cross-border cooperation between member states. We must strengthen communication and intelligence-sharing across borders to detect and intercept illicit flows, including drugs, firearms, FTF movement and smuggling of people while facilitating legitimate international trade. The efforts should not limit to law enforcement component, but include community engagement, social cohesion and cybersecurity in an integrated manner. UNODC is fully committed to support these efforts within the Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025 and other regional and global initiatives,” said UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia Ashita Mittal.

Participants discussed emerging challenges in border security and management associated with the new security landscape in the region; following the developments in Afghanistan. Participants also exchanged information on the current situation and their progress in the area of border security and management. The discussions were followed by a visit to the National Dog Handlers Training Center of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Conference brought together officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as AIRPOL, the EU’s Border Management in Central Asia Programme (BOMCA-10), EUROPOL,  INTERPOL, the IOM, UNAMA, UNODC, and UNOCT. Representatives from Germany, Türkiye and the United States of America also participated in person and online.