On 25 January 2022 a Russian language online webinar on “Identifying Military Goods at the Border” was delivered by the Strategic Trade Control (STCE) Programme and the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Project of the WCO.
The Webinar followed up on a similar event conducted in English in September 2021, which saw the participation of over 1000 customs officers from all over the world. Given the elevated interest in the subject, the WCO Security Programme decided to organise similar events in different languages and engage regional experts in the field, the one in Russian being the first one of this kind.
The STCE Programme and SALW Project coordinators shared the floor with three experts from the Small Arms Survey, Interpol and Georgia Customs. Each one of them brought a different perspective to the subject and highlighted the growing illicit and global trade of small arms, light weapons and military equipment and the risks deriving from it.
The 30 attendees from several Customs Administrations demonstrating their interest in the subject, also in preparation of the Operation Cosmo Central Asia and the Caucasus which will be conducted by the STCE Programme in 2022, involving also the Administrations attending the webinar, with the aim of strengthening the cooperation in the region and increasing awareness on the importance of strategic trade control in Customs.
For more information on the STCE Programme and the SALW Project, you can contact the WCO Security Programme at WCOSecurityProgramme@wcoomd.org.