From 29 to 30 July 2025, the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors organized a Regional Consultative Workshop on the Development and Implementation of Early Warning Systems for Synthetic Drugs and NPS in a hybrid format.

The event was attended by representatives of law enforcement agencies, ministries of health, justice and forensic specialists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as international experts.

The seminar was organized jointly with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan, with financial assistance from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics Trafficking and Law Enforcement Affairs.

This seminar was prompted by the rapid spread of synthetic drugs in Central Asia. An alarming signal is the increasing detection of clandestine laboratories for the manufacture of synthetic and other drugs on the territory of CARICC member states, which indicates the intensification of synthetic drug production in the region.

Based on this threat, CARICC and the UNODC Regional Office are working on the possibility of introducing early warning systems (EWS), which will allow to intensify the exchange of information between the competent authorities on new types of drugs, carry out timely assessment of risks to public health, and develop adequate response to this threat.

At the end of the event, the participants prepared relevant recommendations.