On October 18-19, 2022, the CARICC delegation headed by Director R.Miralizoda took part in the high-level international conference “International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism and Prevent the Movement of Terrorists” in Dushanbe.

President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the event. High-level representatives of the European Union, OSCE, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Qatar and other states also made presentations at the conference.

The conference was aimed at promoting international cooperation to improve border and customs controls in order to prevent and detect the movement of terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, conventional ammunition and explosives, nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological weapons and materials.

This forum supported the implementation of additional measures on border security and management, criminal justice, and information sharing in accordance with international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law.

The conference was an integral part of the “Dushanbe process”, which was held in 2018 following the results of the first high-level international conference “Combating terrorism and violent extremism” (Dushanbe, May 3-4, 2018) by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with institutions UN, OSCE and European Union.

Within the framework of the conference, CARICC Director R.Miralizoda made his statement, in which he drew attention of the participants to the relationship between terrorism and drug trafficking in the financing of terrorist activities at the expense of funds received from the drug business.

In this context, the Director of CARICC advocated close international cooperation in the following matters:

- capacity building in conducting bilateral and multilateral anti-drug operations;

- study of topical problems of the relationship between terrorism and drug trafficking, with the identification and blocking of the use of the Internet space by terrorist organizations and drug groups to realize their criminal intentions.

At the end of the conference, the Dushanbe Declaration on Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism and Prevent the Movement of Terrorists was adopted.

In Astana, the Republic of Kazakhstan, from October 4 to October 5, 2022, an international conference was held on strengthening cross-border cooperation between law enforcement agencies of Central Asia in the field of combating human trafficking.

The event was organized by the OSCE Program Offices in Astana and Dushanbe.

During the conference, topical issues in the field of combating human trafficking in the countries of the region, best practices and experience of the OSCE participating countries in strengthening the institutional response of states to cases of human trafficking were considered.

The format of the conference included discussions, exchange of experience, knowledge and best practices on combating human trafficking in the OSCE region with a focus on Central Asia.

The conference was attended by CARICC analyst Barzu Avazzoda, who made a presentation on "CARICC as a leading platform for regional and international cooperation in combating drug trafficking and cross-border drug crime."

As a result of the event, the participants developed a number of recommendations to simplify the exchange of information and strengthen cross-border cooperation between law enforcement agencies in Central Asia in the field of combating human trafficking.

On October 5-6, 2022, a regular meeting of the Working Group of Experts of the Paris Pact on Cross-Border Cooperation was held in a hybrid format on the basis of CARICC in support of the first thematic section of the Vienna Declaration.

The event was attended by over 80 executive and senior level delegates from 24 countries and 10 international organizations.

The welcoming speech was made by Acting Directors of CARICC Mr. Atageldy Ovezovich Yazlyev, Head of the European Union Drug Prevention Program in Central Asia (CADAP-7) Mr. Ernest Robello, UNODC Central Asia International Program Coordinator Mr. Yusuf Kurbonov and UNODC Paris Pact Program Coordinator Mr. Riku Lehtovuori.

The meeting was chaired by the Head of the Coordination Division of the UNODC Border Control Office, Mr. Tofik Murshudlu.

Issues of cooperation were discussed during the two-day event on the elimination of international drug trafficking in the world and the fight against cross-border crime.

In accordance with the program of the meeting, a CARICC employee showed a presentation on the topic: "CARICC activities in support of promoting coordination and data exchange."

As a result of the event, the expert working group of the Paris Pact on cross-border cooperation identified and developed priority recommendations for all participants in the meeting.

In particular, it is recommended to continue to expand and strengthen the exchange of information at the strategic, operational and thematic levels between partners in the Paris Pact, to use the existing secure communication channels for the exchange of information between Interpol and the World Customs Organization, regional and international law enforcement organizations / centers, such as JPC, CARICC , SELEC, GCC-CIC, SCO and others, it is recommended to strengthen mutual cooperation to achieve significant results aimed at combating drug trafficking, as well as other areas in the anti-drug field.

The participants emphasized the importance of interaction through the expansion of international cooperation, the exchange of positive experience and the further development of relations in the field of combating transnational drug crime.

In the period from September 19 to 23, 2022, the third national simulation training for practitioners on combating human trafficking along migration routes was held on the basis of CARICC.

The organizers were the Law Enforcement Academy under the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Karaganda and Almaty Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Academy of the Border Guard Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, CARICC, the US Embassy in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the OSCE Program Office in Nur-Sultan and Winrock International.

The event was attended by over a hundred representatives of special and law enforcement agencies, social services, labor inspection, non-governmental organizations of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as international organizations.

Welcoming remarks were made by the Director of the Institute for Professional Training of the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies under the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Akaev Magomed Magomedzapirovich, the Head of the OSCE Program Office in Nur-Sultan, Mr. Volker Frobart, Acting Directors of CARICC Mr. Yazlyev Atageldy Ovezovich, as well as Director of Winrock International Ms. Eleanor Valentine.

The format of the simulation training provided for the creation of conditions and situations aimed at simulating the actual commission of a criminal act in order to develop practical skills for specialists in the timely detection, methods of detention, suppression and methods of investigating certain types of crimes and assisting their victims, as well as to develop further measures to solve problems and problematic issues related to human trafficking, including their involvement in drug trafficking.

One of the main tasks of the simulation training was to develop methods of interaction within the framework of interdepartmental investigative and operational groups to identify persons involved in illegal human trafficking and drug trafficking.

The participants of the simulation training exchanged expert opinions, experience and best practices on the issues of investigation and suppression of crimes related to illegal trafficking of people and their exploitation in clandestine laboratories, as well as coercion to transport narcotic drugs across the state border.

Participants and organizers of the training noted the high practical value of events held in this format.