The GreenCustoms initiative

Raising awareness of Multilateral Environmental Agreements and other

relevant treaties

Etienne GONIN, UNEP DTIE / OzonAction Office

Workshop on Illegal Traffic – Basel Convention

Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 3-5 October 2006

Background

• Most environmental problems are transboundary and global in impact, and they can only be addressed effectively through international co-operation and shared responsibility

• Customs and border-protection officers responsible for controlling trade across borders have an important role in

protecting the national and global environment

Background

• A Customs officer might encounter various chemicals such as ozone-depleting substances, hazardous wastes and pesticides, and animal and plant specimens

• Not only raw materials and live animals and plants pass through Customs control, but also products that include certain chemicals or wildlife parts and derivatives

• It is a complex task and large responsibility to verify shipments and their documentation, and to verify compliance with national laws and to take action when violations occur

Background

“Any progress achieved in addressing the goals of poverty and hunger eradication, improved health, and environmental protection is unlikely to be sustained if most of the ecosystem services on which humanity relies continue to be degraded”

• Millennium Eco-System Assessment, March 2005

Assessment

Why care?

Unchecked trade leads to environmental degradation and Natural Resource Depletion – thereby cutting our lifeline

Background

• A number of international agreements regulate the trade in environmentally sensitive items and products, and the requirements of these agreements are usually incorporated in national legislation

Customs : Guards of human and environmental security

• Reduction/elimination of illegal trade in environmentally-sensitive items covered by specific international agreements, such as ozone depleting substances, toxic chemicals, hazardous wastes and endangered species …

• … while protecting and facilitating legal trade.

Background

• Of particular relevance to Customs are:– The Basel Convention (Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary

Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal)– The Montreal Protocol (The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete

the Ozone Layer)– The Rotterdam Convention (Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed

Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade

– The Stockholm Convention (Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants)

– CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)

– The Chemical Weapons Convention (Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction)

– The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Key Treaties Related to Trade

• CITES

– Endangered species

• Montreal Protocol

– Ozone-depleting substances

• Basel Convention

– Hazardous wastes

• Stockholm Convention

• Rotterdam Convention

– Chemicals

• Cartagena Protocol

– Living Modified Organisms (LMOs)

Trade and Customs are key tools to

implement these treaties

• Chemical Weapons Convention

– Chemicals

Partners

CITES

The Montreal Protocol

The Basel Convention

The Stockholm Convention

The Rotterdam Convention

The Organisation for prohibition of Chemical Weapons

The Cartagena Protocol

The United Nations Environment Programme (DTIE – DEC)

The World Customs Organization

Interpol

Cooperation of UNEP with WCO

Mutual Consultation

Information Exchange

Reciprocal Representation

Technical Cooperation

Specific cooperation in the regions

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• The GreenCustoms Initiative is a series of collaborative activities carried out by its partner organizations, aimed at raising the awareness of Customs and border control officers to several trade-related MEAs and relevant treaties

• Activities to date include awareness-raising workshops and the Guide to Multilateral Environmental Agreements and other related treaties

Progress underProgress under GreenCustoms

1980’sCustoms training

under CITES

Customs training under

Montreal Protocol GCI

1991 2001 First

Planning Meeting

2002Concept Testing

Workshop

MOUWCO/UNEP

2004Funding secured

2003

Pilot workshops,

training guide, website

2005

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• Recent GreenCustoms training workshops

– GreenCustoms Workshop, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2006

– GreenCustoms Workshop, Arusha, Tanzania, 2005

– GreenCustoms Workshop, Bhutan, South Asia, 2005

– GreenCustoms Workshop, Tbilisi, Georgia, 2005

– GreenCustoms Workshop, Trinidad and Tobago, 2005

• Participation in partner activities (examples)

– Forth Joint Customs-Ozone Officers Cooperation Workshop in the Asia-Pacific Region, Bangkok, Thailand, 2006

– 11th WCO Regional Heads of Administration Conference for Asia and the Pacific, Beijing, China, 2006

– 17th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP-17), Dakar, Senegal, 2005

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• The GreenCustoms Guide to Multilateral Environmental Agreements and other relevant treaties

– Chapter 1 explains MEAs and the role of Customs in their national implementation

– Chapter 2 provides an overview of the main international trade-related MEAs and relevant treaties

– Chapter 3 explores practical aspects of implementing controls for these agreements

In preparation for 2007

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• GreenCustoms Guide topics for each MEA or treaty

– Definitions

– Provisions for regulating trade

– The specific role of Customs in implementing the MEA/treaty

– Official documents to be aware of

– Practical considerations

• Health and safety

• Identification

• Seizures and disposal

• Derogations

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• The GreenCustoms Guide will also provide details on where additional information can be obtained, and what additional training resources are available

• The Guide will contain a chart that will provide an easy-to-interpret reference to the provisions of the MEAs and related treaties and what is required for processing by Customs

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• The GreenCustoms Guide is an awareness-raising tool, aimed at reducing confusion about the agreements, and promoting a greater understanding of the relevant agreements and treaties, and the role of Customs in implementing them

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• The GreenCustoms Guide does not replace in-depth technical training provided by GC partners

• The GreenCustoms Guide does not provide country-specific guidance on the implementation of MEAs and relevant treaties

• The GreenCustoms Guide does not provide country-specific information on legislation, penalties or disposal

• The GreenCustoms Guide does not provide HS Codes, lists of manufacturers, or guidance to importers/exporters of controlled items, products and substances

The GreenCustoms Initiative

• Future GreenCustoms activities:

– Publication and distribution of the GreenCustoms Guide

– GreenCustoms awareness-raising workshops

– Train-the-trainer workshops for Customs

– On-line training, e-learning

– Specialized skills training by GreenCustoms partners

– One-stop source for referencematerials for Customs on theGreenCustoms website

www.greencustoms.org

Specific Effort on Illegal Traffic

• Highlighting specific products from Partner organisations

• Promoting tools such as the CEN or Eco-Messages

• Enhancing cooperation between like-minded institutions

• Case studies demonstrating common lessons learnt

• Practical / Interactive exercizes for training

Regional Initiative on curbing illegal trade: Project Sky Hole Patching

• Project to curb illegal trade in ozone depleting substances (ODS) and dangerous waste in Asia Pacific

• Monitor the movement of suspicious shipments

• Adopted at 11th WCO Meeting of Heads of Customs in Asia Pacific

• 18 Customs administrations

• UNEP, RILO – AP as facilitators

• 1st phase (ODS) launched on 1st September

GreenCustoms: Assistance and support

• The implementation of MEA provisions in national legislation can demand a great deal of effort and commitment, but Customs officers are not expected to do this alone

• At the national level, there are agencies and institutions that are responsible for MEA implementation and that can assist you in your work, and they also rely on your efforts to ensure national compliance with the MEAs

• International support, such as through the GreenCustoms Initiative on training, is also a source of information and advice

• Through your efforts, you are helping deliver a better environment and a sustainable future for your country and for all nations

Thank you for your attention

Etienne GoninUnited Nations Environment Programme

DTIE - OzonAction

egonin@unep.fr