Sri Lanka Navy and UNODC Strengthen Maritime Crime Prevention Efforts

COLOMBO (News 1st); A delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC), led by the Head of the Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP), Siri Bjune, met with the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, at the Navy Headquarters on January 27, 2025.

During the official interaction, Vice Admiral Banagoda and Bjune discussed several matters of bilateral importance, focusing primarily on training programs conducted with the contribution of the Sri Lanka Navy as part of the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC.

UNODC's mission is to contribute to global peace and security, human rights, and development by making the world safer from drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism. 

The UNODC programme supports member states in developing cooperation and building law enforcement capacity to counter serious organized crime within the maritime domain.

Since 2016, the Sri Lanka Navy has successfully conducted 50 Visit Board Search & Seize (VBSS) training courses for foreign maritime law enforcement agencies at the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) Headquarters in Trincomalee, as part of the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC.