On 16 November 2023, the World Customs Organization (WCO) hosted the inaugural COLIBRI II Steering Committee Meeting at its Headquarters in Brussels. This three-hour hybrid session brought together representatives from the WCO, the European Union (EU), partner administrations and various international initiatives. The discussions revolved around lessons learnt from Phase I of the COLIBRI Project, achievements during the April to September 2023 Inception Phase, and an outline of the roadmap for Phase II of the Project.
COLIBRI: Monitoring and Controlling General Aviation (GA) is a WCO initiative, funded by the EU as part of the Global Illicit Flows Programme (GIFP). The Project, implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and in West and Central Africa (WCA) countries, aims to support law enforcement administrations (LEAs) and competent authorities in effectively combating transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking perpetrated through GA.
The inaugural Steering Committee Meeting was opened by representatives of the WCO and the EU. The Director of the WCO Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, Pranab Kumar Das, pointed out that the WCO Drugs and Precursors Programme focused on major threats in order to achieve one of the Organization's strategic objectives, namely “protect society”. The Director also highlighted the milestones reached by the COLIBRI Project during Phase I, including the provision of a comprehensive capacity-building programme, the development of the Geoportal and its related features, and the success of the first nine-day international coordinated operation, codenamed "Rutilant". Director Das commended the COLIBRI Project for its efforts and commitment to supporting partner countries with enhanced GA monitoring and control.
The representative of the EU, Isabel Candela Rodriguez, Deputy Head of Unit 1 in the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI 1), then took the floor and also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between COLIBRI and other EU initiatives, such as EMPACT Operational Action on GA, and of boosting synergies with other projects under the GIFP, including AIRCOP, CRIMJUST and SEACOP. She called for continued innovation and suitable responses to emerging challenges during Phase II.
The Meeting then focused on presenting the Project’s strategy and future direction. The WCO Drugs and Precursors Programme Manager explained how the COLIBRI Project had swiftly implemented the recommendations stemming from the independent evaluation conducted in 2022. The Inception Phase had been instrumental in identifying new countries, defining the Project blueprint, prioritizing actions, and strengthening cooperation with the Maritime Analysis and Operation Centre-Narcotics (MAOC-N), a key partner for COLIBRI in guaranteeing an effective and positive impact at EU level.
Phase II of the COLIBRI Project builds on a robust theory of change and a strategy tailored to guide its implementation and thereby ensure partner engagement and ownership. The Project monitoring and evaluation system, including its national-level mechanism targeting appropriate governance structures, was also described in greater detail. COLIBRI’s intervention approach plays a significant role in developing action plans tailored to partners’ needs and promotes the use of the Geoportal, the key IT resource to enhance monitoring and surveillance capacities.
The Project strategy was also presented throughout the course of the Meeting, providing insights into the critical role of the National Steering Committee (NSC) and technical national and regional working groups. These mechanisms are designed to ensure local engagement and ownership throughout all phases of the intervention cycle and to promote sustainability.
In terms of regional coordination, presentations given during the Meeting outlined plans to expand COLIBRI's outreach to four additional countries, those being Bolivia and Ecuador (LAC), and Benin and Togo (WCA). The selection of these countries is in keeping with the principle of making vulnerable countries less attractive to smugglers using private aircraft, ensuring operational sustainability through the border continuum, and considering regional dynamics, realities and challenges that need to be addressed within the regions.
The second part of the Meeting comprised presentations by the Project partners. COLIBRI national focal points (NFPs) from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Customs Authority of Argentina (AFIP) presented their respective countries’ experiences. Both NFPs provided an overview of COLIBRI’s impact. They flagged the importance of continued capacity building, the use of the Geoportal, and the signing of Memoranda of Cooperation. These strategic documents were signed by the Ghana Authorities (July 2023), and by Argentina through AFIP (September 2022) and the Ministry of Security (October 2023).
During the closing remarks, the EU’s FPI 1 COLIBRI Programme Manager brought the Meeting to an end by underscoring the importance of innovation, flexibility and strategic partnerships in combating organized crime perpetrated through GA. She stressed the value of collaboration and the integration of cross-cutting issues across all Project actions.
The Meeting marked the official launch of Phase II of the COLIBRI Project, showcasing its strategic approach to supporting partner countries in addressing transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking via GA.
For more information about the COLIBRI Project, please contact: colibri@wcoomd.org