The National Customs Directorate of Uruguay announced the start of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and World Customs Organization Container Control Programme Course (UNODC-WCO).
The training began this Monday (07.03.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX) with the presence of the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States Embassy, Jennifer Savage, the Director of Finance of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Fernando Blanco, the National Naval Prefect, Rear Admiral José Luis Elizondo and the National Director of Customs, Jaime Borgiani.
At the inauguration, in addition to highlighting the importance of the UNODC-WCO programme, the National Director of Customs, Jaime Borgiani, he said: “the training – which will be carried out During two weeks for officials from the Ministry of the Interior, Defense, National Drug Secretariat and the National Customs Directorate – indicates that Uruguay is a serious country and works as such.”
The director also urged participants to make the most of the course. It is designed to strengthen and promote partnerships between customs, trade and law enforcement. in an effort to prevent the abuse of trade in illicit activities.
In turn, the Director of Finance of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Fernando Blanco, said that Uruguay is in a fight against drug trafficking. Because of this, the National Customs Directorate is a “strong institution that is playing a very good game.”
“Collaboration between the port and the institutions is key above all for the development of the country,” added the Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Jennifer Savage. He also highlighted the success of the programme, stressing that Uruguay can become a model to follow in the fight against organised crime.
Finally, the UNODC-WCO Container Control Program trainer in charge for Latin America, César Schiaffino, specified the details of the program and the topics that will be covered in the course.
The Colombian Lieutenant Oscar Alfonso Ochoa Aeguello, Head of Port and Airport Control of the Anti-Narcotics Directorate, will be the other coach who will teach the induction course, according to Uruguayan Customs.
It should be noted that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organization have joined forces to develop the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme.
For more than two decades, the UNODC-WCO programme has been supporting Member States in Latin America and the Caribbean to effectively address the threats posed by drugs by promoting a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach that combines prevention and interdiction and seeks a balance between supply- and demand-focused strategies, in line with the United Nations Drug Conventions.
From there, the initiative – of global scope – proposes to strengthen the structures and processes that allow the application of sustainable laws for the selected States and ports, in order to minimize the exploitation of maritime containers for illicit drug trafficking and other transnational organized crime activities. In this way, UNODC-WCO facilitates cooperation in the fight against crime between States and international organizations involved in the regulation of container traffic, as well as maintains strategic alliances with various security entities within States with operational ports. These entities include Customs, Police, Maritime Institutions and the private sector, among others.
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