On 20 February, the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia BOMCA10 held its fourth Regional Steering Group (RSG) meeting to review the ongoing progress and agree on plans for its final implementation year.
The meeting took place in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan bringing together representatives from the donor, implementing consortium of the programme, and national counterparts directly involved in the project’s implementation in each of five countries of Central Asia.
To date, BOMCA 10 has successfully implemented nearly 90% of its planned activities across five countries, focusing on institutional development of border control agencies, enhancement of detection capacities, trade facilitation and cross-border cooperation. Since the launch of the 10th phase of the Program in April 2021, 306 events have been organized, including 275 thematic ones. 77 events were held in 2024. The events included coordination meetings, mutual familiarization visits aimed at studying the best practices of the European Union countries, trainings and seminars in various fields, which were held both offline and online. More than 6,000 participants are involved in the Program, while the number of women has increased, as well as new ministries and departments have joined. As part of the 10th phase of the Program, cooperation with other international organizations was also strengthened, with a total of 77 joint events held.
As the programme nears finalisation of the ongoing phase, efforts will continue to complete the remaining activities while consolidating achievements and success stories of the lasting impact and sustainability of work towards peace and stability in the region of Central Asia.
UNRCCA participates in the BOMCA Regional Steering Group Meeting
On 20 February, the BOMCA (Border Management Programme in Central Asia) Regional Steering Group Meeting with participation of all five Central Asian states, the Embassies of the European Union (EU) based in the region as well as UNRCCA and UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) took place in Ashgabat. The meeting was opened by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Ms. Myakhri Byashimova.
Funded by the EU, BOMCA is aimed at increasing security and stability in the region by fostering sustainable economic development through integrated border management. The 10th phase of the Programme, launched in 2021, focuses on institutional development of border control agencies, improvement of detection capacities, facilitation of legitimate trade flows, and improvement of cross-border cooperation in border areas.
Participants of the meeting reviewed border-related trends in the region, and the activities of the 10th phase of the Programme. They also made recommendations for the 11th phase of BOMCA, which should be launched soon.
In its intervention, UNRCCA, recalling that the engagement with BOMCA was based on the Joint Plan of Action for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, particularly emphasized the importance of continued interaction under the Counter-Terrorism Early Warning Network for Central Asia initiative.///nCa, 24 February 2025