Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
59
(importer and exporter use the same customs declaration on both sides of the border), 2)
mutual recognition of inspections and 3) coordinated, joint border operations between
customs authorities in both sides of the border.
Several CAREC countries are in the process of developing single-window facilities that will
eventually allow traders to lodge information just one time via a single portal to fulfil all
import and export related regulatory requirements. Ultimately, national single windows will
exchange information regionally, expediting transnational journeys on CAREC corridors.
The Border Management Program in Central Asia - BOMCA
The Border Management Program in Central Asia (BOMCA) is one of the largest EU-UNDP
assistance schemes in the region, covering five Central Asian economies – Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (all OIC member states). Launched in
2003, the ultimate objective of BOMCA is to assist the Central Asian states to manage their
borders with the right balance of security and openness through BAC and regional
cooperation. This was a much-needed initiative as some countries were struggling with border
controls along their frontiers with problems related to trafficking, cross-border terrorism,
undocumented migration and so forth.
The strategic intent of BOMCA is to strengthen institutional development through focus on
training programs for Central Asian border and customs leadership and exposure to European
best practices in border management. The building block of BOMCA is capacity development
for the pursuit of BAC in approximately twenty critical border crossing points across the
region. The assistance also extends to providing equipment and infrastructure and
modernising training facilities. Additionally, BOMCA contributes towards regional economic
development in Central Asia and trade facilitation with neighbouring countries, and between
Central Asia and the EU member states.
BOMCA has implemented several phases in targeting capacity building and institutional
reform, developing trade corridors, enhancing border management systems and eliminating
drug trafficking across the Central Asia region. Each new phase of BOMCA is built upon the
actions implemented during the preceding phases of the program. During the earlier phases,
the focus was on resource building and modernising border management infrastructure.
Gradually the scope of BOMCA’s activities widened to include border guards and other
authorities involved in customs, migration, drug control, agriculture, health, etc. The concept
and principles of BAC that were built on EU best practices were introduced with the view to
improving cooperation and communication channels among border agencies and consolidating
actions of the Central Asian border management institutions.
During the 8th phase of BOMCA, several hundred members of Central Asian border authorities
were trained on a wide range of subjects, including BAC, document security, stolen vehicle
identification, intelligence gathering and analysis, border control procedures, supply chain
security, international shipment of strategic goods, post-clearance control, customs valuation,
modern technologies in border control, irregular migration and trafficking of human beings,
counter-terrorism and organised crime, anti-corruption, and training of trainers. Steps were
taken towards the establishment of a consortium of training centres whereby border guards
and customs training institutions launched partnerships for the purpose of unifying training