EU-funded project SEACOP V and the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme (CCP) in early December 2022, conducted a joint training in the city of Georgetown in Guyana.
Targeted at personnel from Guyana Revenue Authority, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit and Guyana Defense Force Coast Guard, Guyana Police Force and Maritime Administrative Department, the five-day training activity was hailed as “a successful achievement” by participants.
The advanced training was delivered by two CCP trainers. It covered both theory and practice in the field of containers profiling and searching, and gave the trainees a broader view of how the supply chain works so they can more efficiently address the challenges they face.
“In light of this success, we are planning to replicate this methodology in our upcoming regional training of trainers later this year,” said SEACOP Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean Karen Clarke, who reminded that the objective of SEACOP is to “provide partner countries like Guyana, which constitutes a preferred transit zone for drug trafficking by sea, with robust specialist units to assist in its continued fight against illicit maritime trafficking.”
“One of the primary goals of the Container Control Programme is to improve port security and facilitate trade which in turn will have a positive impact on Guyana´s economy” said CCP Regional Coordinator Alberto Arean Varela. “In this context, facilitating a joint approach complementing each Programme can only be beneficial for the beneficiary countries.”
About the CCP
The CCP aims to build capacity in countries seeking to improve risk management, supply chain security, and trade facilitation in seaports, airports and land border crossings in order to prevent the cross-border movement of illicit goods.
Established as a joint initiative of the UNODC and the WCO in 2004, the CCP is operational in over 70 Member States. More than 120 Port Control Units (PCUs) and Air Cargo Control Units (ACCUs) have been established since the CCP’s inception.
