The member countries of the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) agreed this Sunday (21.01.2024/XNUMX/XNUMX) a Resolute Action Plan (PAR) of 13 measures to jointly address transnational organized crime.
The document approved during the XXIV Extraordinary Meeting of the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Lima (Peru), outlines a series of actions to combat drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal mining and trafficking in arms, ammunition and explosives. In detail:
The 13 measures of the Resolute Action Plan
1. Actions on the borders
The Andean countries agreed to reinforce border surveillance posts in a coordinated manner with neighbouring countries and to carry out joint work to identify, control and neutralise unauthorised border crossings in order to combat transnational illicit activities.
2. Migration Cooperation
The members resolved to instruct the Andean Committee of Migration Authorities (CAAM) to meet immediately to establish a mechanism for the exchange of relevant migration information, with the aim of creating the Andean Data Bank (BAD), with data on persons with criminal records, warrants or transit impediments.
3. Customs Cooperation
The Andean Committee on Customs Affairs must also prepare an action plan, within a period of no more than 60 days, to strengthen mutual assistance and cooperation through the permanent and effective exchange of information.
4. Cooperation against illegal mining
It was also decided to instruct the Andean Ad-Hoc Committee on Illegal Mining (CAMI) to meet immediately to identify illegal mining activities and to plan and carry out a joint operation against illegal mining in the first quarter of the year, with emphasis on border areas, due to its connection with the financing of organized criminal groups.
5. Cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking
The need to address the promotion of a Latin American Anti-Narcotics Alliance at a future meeting was also declared, as well as to promote cooperation and coordination to exchange intelligence information to more effectively combat drug trafficking and transnational organizations dedicated to illicit drug trafficking and related crimes.
Thus, the Andean countries decided to hold, on a quarterly and alternating basis, meetings between the anti-drug directors of the member countries to follow up on the exchange of information and identify the organizations dedicated to this crime.
6. Coordinated operations
Likewise, coordinated police and military operations will be carried out "as soon as possible" in border areas to combat transnational crimes and will promote cooperation and intelligence to analyze the operations of transnational organized crime.
7. Intelligence cooperation
They will also create an Andean mechanism for strategic intelligence to coordinate working groups and exchange information and intelligence on common threats and risks related to drug trafficking, arms trafficking, illegal migrant trafficking, human trafficking, illegal mining and money laundering.
8. Enhanced cooperation against arms trafficking
According to the plan, the implementation of the international instruments designed to combat illicit arms trafficking, with joint actions, exchange of information and judicial cooperation for the recovery of weapons and the capture of members of trafficking networks.
9. Cooperation in penitentiary matters
In addition, the competent authorities will be instructed to immediately initiate cooperation actions in penitentiary matters for security in the subregion.
10. Training in the fight against organized crime
The Andean countries will organize joint training programs for authorities and security agents focused on education, awareness-raising and institutional strengthening in the fight against organized crime.
11. Creation of the 24/7 Andean Security Network
The creation of a 24/7 Andean Security Network was established, which must guarantee the information exchange on the activity of transnational criminal groups that carry out activities that threaten security in the territories of two or more member countries or at their border crossings.
This Andean Security Network, which will begin its operations in the first quarter of this year, will immediately alert about relevant acts committed by transnational criminal groups.
12. Hold an international forum
The PAR also noted that an international forum on transnational crime will be held during the first half of this year.
13. Creation of the Andean Regional Observatory
Finally, the Andean countries will establish an Andean Regional Observatory to collect, process and analyse information on organised crime and other related issues.
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