OSCE-supported Specialized Training Customs Office in Kyrgyzstan acquires new international status

The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the State Customs Service (SCS) of Kyrgyzstan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 3 November 2021 in Bishkek. WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya and SCS Chairperson Adilet Kubanychbekov signed the document that grants the status of WCO regional training center to SCS training and specialized canine unit.  

Mikuriya noted that the new status will allow employees of canine training units of the customs of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia to acquire knowledge and skills in line with international standards that will ensure a higher quality of law enforcement, professional development and exchange of information. This in turn, will allow customs officers to apply effective measures to ensure economic security in Kyrgyzstan and the region as a whole.

During Mikuriya’s visit to Kyrgyzstan, the International Conference on trade facilitation measures during COVID-19 in Central Asia took place on 4 November in Bishkek.

Customs officers from Central Asian states, representatives of the Office of the Co-ordinator of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, International Finance Corporation, German Agency for International Co-operation, International Trade Centre and international experts attended the conference,.

The participants learned the WCO instruments and best practices in implementation of trade facilitation, emerging developments in international supply chain, and modern technologies that could help to overcome risks caused by the COVID-19 to ensure the unhindered flow of legitimate trade.

The Conference was organized within the framework of the project “Capacity building of customs officers from Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan” of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, and in close co-operation with State Customs Service of the Kyrgyz Republic.