UNODC head visits Central Asia

The executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, started on Monday a six-day tour of four Central Asian states to review the drug control and crime prevention situation in the region. "Central Asia is one of the main areas of concern for the organisation in terms of drugs and crime because of the outlets for trafficking through the region from Afghanistan," Bernard Frahi, UNODC acting chief of division for operations, told IRIN from Vienna. The regional tour began in the Uzbek capital Tashkent and will continue until 29 May through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It is aimed at promoting regional cooperation to prevent drug trafficking and at encouraging local governments to launch new initiatives in counter-narcotics efforts. "The purpose of the trip is to launch new law enforcement agencies, to ensure we work according to the same standards and to promote the setting up of a regional operational centre in Central Asia to coordinate intelligence and the sharing of information among the states," Frahi explained. Costa is expected to participate in the opening of the new Drug Control Agency (DCA) in Kyrgyzstan, following the invitation of President Askar Akayev, and will attend celebrations to mark the fifth anniversary of the DCA in Tajikistan, established with UNODC support in 1999 with outstanding results. "The establishment of the DCA in Tajikistan is a milestone in the history of drug control in the region. Over the past five years, Tajikistan has become one of the leading countries in the world in opiate interceptions. The lessons learned and the impressive results achieved in Tajikistan provide a model for similar achievements in Kyrgyzstan," Costa said in statement. During the regional tour the UNODC executive director is also expected to promote the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption by Central Asian states. According to Frahi, it is crucial that Central Asian states ratify the convention due to the drug trafficking problem in the these ex-Soviet republics:"Drugs, in terms of trafficking, is a way of corrupting officials." UNODC's main priorities for Central Asia are focused on strengthening law enforcement, tightening border controls in the countries neighbouring Afghanistan, promoting cross border cooperation - including operational coordination at national, regional and international levels - and improving drug and crime prevention mechanisms. "There is a need to strengthen independent law enforcement in all countries. It is [already] done in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, but Uzbekistan should come up with a strong independent law enforcement agency and the same [is required] in Turkmenistan. We need national entities to foster regional collaboration," Frahi explained.