Capacity Building Training for Tunisian Customs and Health Regulatory Officers on Combating NPS and non-medical synthetic opioids trafficking
Tunisia, 21 - 23 March 2023 - Over a period of three (3) days, from the 21 to 23 March 2023, the International Narcotics Control Board's (INCB's) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) programme conducted a set of two (2) capacity building trainings in Tunisia.
The trainings, presented to the Tunisian customs and health regulatory officers, aimed to raise their awareness on the trafficking and health harms caused by new psychoactive substances (NPS) and non-medical synthetic opioids and facilitate intelligence exchange and cross-border cooperation through INCB proprietary communication and intelligence analysis platforms, namely the Project ION Incident Communication System (IONICS) and the GRIDS Intelligence HD.
The first training, with twenty (20) customs officers in attendance, took place from 21 to 22 March 2023 at the Tunisian Customs Headquarters, while the second training, with nine (9) health regulatory officers, was held on 23 March 2023 at the Tunisian Ministry of Health Headquarters.
The outcome of both trainings was prominent, as the officers successfully gained knowledge on different types of NPS, non-medical synthetic opioids, and other dangerous substances; methods of their smuggling; and their potential health harms. The officers were also trained on the effective use of IONICS and GRIDS Intelligence HD to support their domestic and international trafficking investigations.
This event was possible thanks to the generous support from the United States of America's Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
The GRIDS Programme is the International Narcotics Control Board´s global initiative addressing the international trafficking aspects of emerging dangerous substances. Launched in February 2020, the Programme contributes to the implementation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 73/192, which calls for international cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem, by responding to requests by Member States to enhance their law enforcement capacity to detect and identify new psychoactive substances and promote information sharing and cross-border cooperation, and Commission on Narcotic Drugs Resolution 62/8. The GRIDS Programme also contributes to the 2030 Agenda, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals on good health and wellbeing, sustainable cities and communities, peace, justice and strong institutions, and partnerships.
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Click here to learn more about the OPIOIDS Project
Click here to learn more about the Project ION