Brussels November 2023, the 5th COLIBRI Expert Coordination Meeting was held in Brussels at the World Customs Organization’s premises and marked a significant milestone to kick off with the COLIBRI Project’s 2nd phase aimed at Monitoring and Controlling General Aviation (GA).
Convened from 6 to 10 November 2023, the event brought together 30 experts from Latin America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, and European countries, representing a diverse range of national administrations, including Customs, Police, Gendarmerie, Air Force and the Civil Aviation Authority.
The main aim of the meeting was to update the Project's training modules and define the mentoring and IT tutoring programmes, which will provide further support, guidance, and advice to officials on the ground who are at the frontline of General Aviation control. The capacity building programme will be provided to partner administrations to enhance the capabilities of officials to perform efficient controls and monitoring of GA.
Furthermore, the Project’s IT tools were under the spotlight and will be at the core of the updated Project’s capacity-building programme. In this regard, two days were completely dedicated to the Geoportal and its features and the WCO's secure, real-time communication system the CENcomm.
In addition, the meeting allowed experts to work collaboratively and provide feedback on the Project’s 1st phase training cycle. Discussions encompassed a wide range of topics, among others, the international regulatory framework, risk assessment, insider threats, and the use of open sources.
During this 2nd phase, COLIBRI will implement its strategic plan at different levels: national, regional and international, to ensure that partner administrations and their officials acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and resources, to better fight against organised crime and transnational illicit trafficking, thereby ensuring a more secure and controlled environment within the General Aviation sector.
Eventually, this gathering highlighted the unwavering commitment of experts and their respective administrations to the Project. Its outcomes are poised to boost the implementation, effectiveness, and outreach of the COLIBRI community, contributing substantially to the global efforts in monitoring and controlling general aviation and disrupting organised crime activities at global level.
For more information about COLIBRI please contact: colibri@wcoomd.org