The Sixth Regional Meeting of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organization Global Container Control Programme (CCP) in Latin America and the Caribbean will be held at the convention center of the Ministry of Foreign Relations from 20-24 November 2017, announced Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas. He made the announcement after signing of an agreement for advancing container control with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The UNODC Regional Representative for Central America and the Caribbean, Amado Phillip de Andrés explained that the regional meetings host site is chosen for global performance in the control of containers, cargo and freight. “Every year more, the Dominican Republic is leading in early detection of containers that leave for Europe entering by European Union ports,” he said.
Speaking during the announcement of the hosting of the meeting, Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas said the results are of great satisfaction but these at the same time are a commitment that creates other challenges and opportunities for the country. “It places us in a privileged position for the country that is beneficial in all aspects for the Dominican Republic,” he said.
The CCP has a global reach and aims to fortify the structures and processes that allow for the application of sustainable laws for states and selected ports, so as to minimize the exploitation of maritime containers for the illicit trafficking of drugs, and other transnational organized crime activities. Hence, for greater efficiency, while facilitating cooperation in the fight against crime amongst states and international agencies involved in the regulation of container traffic, the program maintains strategic alliances with various security entities within states with operational ports, including the installation of Joint Port Control Units (JPCUs).
In the Dominican Republic, two ports have operational JPCUs – Multimodal Caucedo and Haina.
9 August 2017
