LocationsBuilding safer communities: 190 Balochistan officials trained to enhance anti-narcotics efforts
September 25, 2024
24 September 2024, Karachi: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan, with funding from the U.S. Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), organized a closing ceremony to mark the successful completion of the training of 190 officials of the Excise, Taxation, and Anti-Narcotics Department of Balochistan (ETAN-B). These trainings focused on enhancing the legal and operational knowledge of ETAN-B staff, equipping them with professional skills to make communities in Balochistan safer.
In February 2024, the UNDP Pakistan Rule of Law Programme, through 6 trainings of trainers and 8 cascade trainings, trained over 30 master trainers, and 166 ETAN-B staff from Balochistan, including 25% of the women employed at ETAN-B. A group of national and international experts, engaged by UNDP Pakistan, carefully curated these trainings to address the capacity gaps in ETAN-B staff. These trainings focused on four specialized areas: intelligence-led field operations, basics of criminal investigation and crime scene management, legal framework of counternarcotics in Pakistan, and research, trend analysis, and strategy development.
At the closing ceremony, Edward “Ned” Swann, Counternarcotics Program Officer, U.S.-INL lauded ETAN-B and UNDP Pakistan’s partnership in countering narcotics in Balochistan. He added, “Through this project, we have built the institutional capacity of ETAN-B to ensure a more sustainable impact from these trainings. We are hopeful that these trainings will prove to be instrumental in reducing crimes, improving public health, and eliminating drug-related security risks in the region.”
Edward Ned Swann, Counternarcotics Program Officer, U.S.-INL, speaking at the closing ceremony.
Enhancing anti-narcotic efforts in Balochistan is a top priority for ETAN-B. This initiative is vital for safeguarding communities in the region and strengthening local capacity to address the complex drug-related security challenges there.
Acknowledging the efforts of the U.S.-INL and UNDP Pakistan, Zafar Ali Bukhari, Secretary, ETAN-B, said, “We remain committed to enhancing the skills of the staff to meet international standards and guidelines, paving the way for more consolidated efforts to address drug-related threats.”
Zafar Ali Bukhari, Secretary, ETAN-B, speaking at the closing ceremony.
During the training of trainers, a need to create standard operating procedures (SOPs) was recognized to streamline the operations of ETAN-B. In light of this, UNDP, as part of its efforts to strengthen ETAN-B’s capacity, drafted a set of SOPs, focusing on the day-to-day tasks of the department in their fight against drug-related crimes.
Kaiser Ishaque, Assistant Resident Representative, Democratic Governance Unit, UNDP Pakistan, took this opportunity to thank ETAN-B and the U.S.-INL for their support. “Improving security sector governance in Pakistan is our utmost priority. This project is not any different. We aim to continue forging such partnerships in the future to better serve and protect the people of Pakistan,” he reaffirmed.
Kaiser Ishaque, Assistant Resident Representative, Democratic Governance Unit, UNDP Pakistan, speaking at the closing ceremony.
The UNDP Rule of Law Programme is implementing a range of interventions to strengthen security and justice sector governance in Pakistan.
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Contact Details:
For additional information, please contact Fizza Bangash at fizza.bangash@undp.org or +92 (51) 835 5631
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