NRC PILOT PROJECT ON COUNTER-NARCOTICS TRAINING OF AFGHAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN PERSONNEL

In February 2004, Russia proposed that the NRC should explore possible cooperation against the threats posed by trafficking in Afghan narcotics. Following the outcome of several expert seminars and extensive consultations with relevant international actors, such as the UN, the EU, the OSCE, on 8 December 2005 NRC Foreign Ministers agreed to launch the NRC Pilot Project on Counter-Narcotics Training of Afghan and Central Asian Personnel to complement existing international efforts. This joint NRC training initiative is aimed at mid-level personnel from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has agreed to act as the Pilot Project’s Implementation Agency, and has worked closely with the relevant NRC structures and with representatives of the eligible states to develop a concrete training programme. The training comprises courses offered by mobile training teams which travel to Afghanistan and the Central Asian states, as well as courses offered at established training centres, such as Russia’s Domodedovo Centre and the Turkish Academy on Drugs and organized Crime (TADOC).

Training began in September 2006. By the end of 2007, a total of 332 trainees from the six eligible countries will have been trained following the conclusion of sixteen training courses.

All six target states have expressed keen interest in receiving NRC counter-narcotics training. A first high-level steering meeting with the participation of relevant counter-narcotics officials from the eligible countries was held in Tashkent in November 2007 to ensure that the NRC initiative meets each country’s individual training needs. Periodic high-level steering sessions of this kind are an integral part of the NRC Pilot Project.