Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan hosted a hybrid Regional Workshop on Identification of Synthetic Drugs, including NPS, and Development of Reporting Formats in Line with International Quality Management Standards between 10 and 14 November 2025.

The event brought together representatives of law enforcement agencies, ministries of health and justice, and forensic experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and 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 support from the US State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Increased detection of clandestine laboratories manufacturing synthetic and other drugs in CARICC member states indicates growing synthetic drug production in the region.

In this connection, CARICC and the UNODC Regional Office are exploring the possibility of introducing early warning systems (EWS) that will facilitate information exchange between competent authorities on new types of drugs, enable timely assessment of risks to public health, and develop adequate measures to respond to this threat.

The event concluded with participants developing relevant recommendations for implementation of early warning systems (EWS).