A festive opening of the Dog Training Center of the State Border Committee of Belarus took place yesterday in the premises of the Smarhon Border Service Detachment (Hronda region). The Center was improved within the EC/UNDP joint project Enhancing the System of Immigration Control at the State Border of the Republic of Belarus” (BOMBEL-2).

The project has provided the Center with all the facilities necessary for quality selection and pedigree breeding of service dogs (German, Belgian and Caucasian shepherds, cockers, labradors), who are trained to do searching job, search for people, detect drugs and explosives, and guard the border.

“Belarus is a neighbor to three EU countries and shares the longest border with the EU among all the countries in the East”, Ms Kori Udovicki, Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Europe and the CIS stated at the opening ceremony. “With the capacity now to train dogs, Belarus can dramatically increase its ability to thwart trafficking in drugs and people and thus reduce the risk of its spread not only to Belarus but to the entire European Union. The Centre will also have a powerful deterrent effect when it is known that borders in Belarus are “guarded” by dogs trained in accordance with the most modern techniques, which is precisely what this Centre will offer.”

Thanks to BOMBEL-1 and BOMBEL-2 projects implementation the Dog Training Center received puppies, veterinary equipment, outfit for dogs and instructors. Besides, the housing for dog trainers, dogs housing walking and training facilities were renovated, and dogs-transporting minivans were purchased. The building for luggage check training was the last facility opened after reconstruction in October this year.

“The Center revamping has become a vivid result of the fruitful cooperation with such international institutes as EU and UNDP”, said General Igor Rachkovski, Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus. “Moreover, our Center has the capacity for training service dogs both for Belarus’ law enforcement agencies and for foreign states. For instance, Germany has already placed an order for training of 150 puppies.”

Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, UNDP, IOM, UNHCR, Ambassadors of the EU member states accredited in Belarus attended the opening ceremony. The guests familiarized themselves with the Center equipment and infrastructure, and watched performance of dog experts with service dogs.

For more information, please contact the Project Manager, Sergei Prihodko, at 216 24 93, or UNDP Communications Associate, Vladislav Khilkevich, at 227 38 17, e-mail: .

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