I. The EU-UNDP BOMCA Assistance

Programme in Uzbekistan: Introduction

BOMCA works with seven beneficiary entities in Uzbekistan, including five controlling bodies involved in border management: the Border Guards Committee under the National Security Service, the Customs Committee, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources. By law, the Uzbek Border Guards Committee is the key state agency responsible for border protection, and thus represents a powerful decision making body on border management issues.

The Government of Uzbekistan is keen to promote the development of trade and transit in order to improve the prosperity of its citizens.

II. BOMCA's current phase in Uzbekistan

The programme's current phase in Uzbekistan addresses the following key areas:

Project 1: Strengthening Training Capacities in Central Asia

As part of previous BOMCA phases, several border agency training centres in Central Asia were, or will be, refurbished or constructed and equipped with all necessary specialised and office equipment. This included the construction of the training facilities for Border Guards in Termez, which were handed over to beneficiaries in May 2008.

During the period of 2010-2011 BOMCA will renovate the building of a dormitory for the Border Guards Training Centre located in Yangiaryk town Surkhandarya region, Uzbekistan.

Representatives of border management agencies from Uzbekistan took part in the Regional "Training-of-Trainers" course in Almaty in February 2010. During the training special attention was paid to the Integrated Border Management (IBM) Training Manual developed by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

A national skills training was held in Tashkent in June 2010. Twenty two representatives of the Uzbek border management agencies participated in the IBM skills training workshop. The programme included a series of presentations on the implementation of IBM combined with practical work.

Within the BOMCA Programme, beneficiaries receive training for dog handlers at a regional level. The comprehensive training programme for dog handlers improves their knowledge of dog handling techniques in search for drugs and explosives. Participants are familiarised with the EU best practice based on the methods practiced at the Canine School of the Austrian Police Academy.

Each graduate is provided with a special outfit, a German shepherd dog, dog equipment and training materials. Upon successful completion of the course students are awarded with the qualification of Certified Dog Handler, and take their trained dogs to serve at the border crossing points of their countries.

For the sustainability of training capacity, BOMCA conducts three-month training sessions twice a year in Tashkent and Almaty for the dog handlers of the State Border Guards and the State Customs Committees of Uzbekistan.

Project 2: Strengthening Infrastructure Capacities Along Trade and Transit Corridors in Central Asia

BOMCA refurbished 3 border crossing points (BCPs) – Sariosiyo, Vuadil, Madaniyat and equipped 2 BCPs - Daut-Ata and Karasu. Over the same period several skills training courses on International Border Management basics and border control were conducted for border guards, customs officers and phytosanitary officers at BCPs at the Uzbek-Turkmen border, Uzbek-Kyrgyz border and Uzbek-Tajik border.

During the period of 2010-2011 BOMCA will renovate Andarkhan Border Crossing Point in Ferghana Region.

Project 3: Strengthening counter-drug capacities at borders

During 2006-2008, BOMCA constructed 3 border outposts - Mamyk, Sokh, Tinchlik and equipped them with computers, generators, specialized equipment and vehicles.

Drug Profiling Units (DPUs) have been established in all the countries in the Central Asian region in order to search for drugs and explosives, to apprehend suspected drug traffickers and to collate and analyse information on illegal drug trafficking. In Uzbekistan, two Drug Profiling Units (DPU) offices, one at the Tashkent International Airport and another one at the Keles railway station, have been opened. For these, BOMCA refurbished the relevant facilities and equipped them with the necessary specialised and office equipment. With the involvement of international experts, a number of training sessions are being carried out for the staff of DPUs.

III. Coordination

Technical Level Donor Coordination Meetings are regularly organized and hosted in the country. The principal goal of the donor coordination meetings is to provide an opportunity for coordination and discussion on common aims to promote parallel funding from donor organizations and in-kind contributions to EU projects.

Regular meetings with the beneficiaries: Bi-annual Steering Committee Meetings on national and regional levels are a useful vehicle for Uzbekistan to indicate and outline the country's priorities. Programme implementation is planned according to the decisions made by these committees.

The Central Asia Border Security Initiative (CABSI) conference is a coordination platform for all stakeholders in the areas of border management and drug control in Central Asia, while its objectives have been developed further to promote a comprehensive and sustainable integrated border management approach in the region. CABSI meetings take place once a year in Central Asia to discuss current border management and security activities and possible future cooperation.

IV. Major BOMCA activities in Uzbekistan

• The building for the Border Guard Training Centre was constructed and handed over to beneficiaries in May 2008 and a dormitory for the Border Guards Training Centre will be renovated during the period of 2010-2011.
• Regional "Training-of-Trainers" course attended by 5 representatives from different Uzbek border agencies, February 2010, Almaty, Kazakhstan;
• Skills training workshop on IBM for 22 border and customs officers, specialists from Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources (phyto-sanitary and veterinary control) and Health (quarantine control) was organized in June 2010 in Tashkent;
• 7 study tours arranged to the EU countries for senior border managers to learn the European best-practices in border management. Two latest study tours were arranged to the EU training institution in Luebeck, Germany, in April 2010; and to the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the EU External Borders (FRONTEX) to Warsaw, Poland, in May 2010;
• Provision of female breeding dogs for the National Dog Centre under the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan is planned for autumn 2010;
• Provision of dogs and organisation of the Regional two-month training course for 16 Dog Handlers from Central Asian countries at the National Dog Training Centres under the State Customs Committee in Tashkent;
• Construction/renovation of border infrastructure at border crossing point (BCP) Andarkhan at Uzbek-Tajik border is planned for 2010-2011;
• During 2006-2008, BOMCA constructed 3 border outposts - Mamyk, Sokh, Tinchlik and equipped them with computers, generators, specialized equipment and vehicles and also refurbished 3 border crossing points (BCPs) – Sariosiyo, Vuadil, Madaniyat and equipped 2 BCPs - Daut-Ata and Karasu;
• National workshop for decision makers to encourage the signature of the DPU inter-agency agreement will be organized in autumn 2010;
• Training for DPUs staff on profiling methodology and search techniques will be organized in autumn 2010;
• Training for trainers from Training Institutions, on DPU methodologies for further possible introduction of the DPU concept in the standard training curriculum will be organized in autumn 2010;
• Training on drug and precursors detection at BCP will be organized in autumn 2010.

Training, equipment and infrastructure investments under BOMCA Programme in Uzbekistan for 2004-2010