Uruguay signs agreement with the World Customs Organization

By Pittaluga Abogados

The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the National Customs Directorate of Uruguay, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to join forces to strengthen Law Enforcement Administrations’ (LEAs) capacities in the fight against illicit trafficking via General Aviation.  

This is the first MoU signed within the framework of the WCO COLIBRI Project on Monitoring and Controlling General Aviation. The WCO COLIBRI project is funded by the European Union (EU). The Project geographically focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean, (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Peru, and Dominican Republic), and West and Central Africa (Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, and Mali).

Uruguay and its Law Enforcement authorities have shown outstanding commitment to the Project. The National Drug Board (JDN), Customs, Air Force, DINACIA, National Police Air, and Naval Prefecture, are actively cooperating and coordinating towards a successful implementation of the Project’s activities.

The core element of the WCO COLIBRI project is an ambitious capacity building component. The first COLIBRI online training on Monitoring and Controlling General Aviation was held for Law Enforcement Agencies of Uruguay in July 2020. This online training has been designed to provide a strong theoretical background in order to prepare officials for subsequent practical face-to-face trainings.

Beside the capacity building component, one of the Project’s main objectives is to develop new technologies to enhance controls on General Aviation: a new and innovative IT platform completely dedicated to General Aviation will be launched in 2021.