Please see draft calendar of WCO for Council and Committee Sessions, and other meetings

please also see calendar of Workshops/Chemicals Meetings

Environmental Crime Media Update

As part of the SIDA-funded Regional Enforcement Networking project and ARPEC initiative of UNEP, an electronic media update service was launched. The aim of this media is to regularly follow the media news about environmental crime. Pls see the first issue.

Green Customs Side Event at the Cartagena Protocol on Biodiversity (COP-MOP-4), Bonn, Germany, 13 May 2008

This side event will provide an introduction to the Green Customs Initiative and its activities as well as an overview of the SCBD's involvement.

Date: Tuesday, 13 May 2008, Time: 13.15 - 14.45, Room: Salon Hauptmann, Maritim Hotel Bonn, Event ID Number: 1587

Agenda:

13.45 - 13.55 Presentation by Ezra Clark, GCI Secretariat

13.55 - 14.05 Presentation by Kathryn Garforth, SCBD

14.15 - 14.25 Interventions from other GCI Partners

14.25 - 14.45 Questions and discussion

To access the live webcast, please visit the homepage of the CBD website or visit

http://unfccc.meta-fusion.com/kongresse/CBD2008/templ/ply_cbd.php?id_kongresssession=991&player_mode=isdn_real

National Green Customs Workshop for customs officers for Ethiopia and Djibouti, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 16-18 April 2008

For more information please contact: Patrick Salifu

Please see Press coverage, Addis Ababa Highlights

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Seventeenth session of Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Vienna, Austria, 14 - 18 April 2008

For more information please see: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CCPCJ/session/17.html

WCO, Brussels, Belgium, 27 March 2008

Environment crime now high on the world agenda

Please read the Press Information

Green Customs Workshop for Latin America, Caracas, Venezuela, 27 - 29 February 2008

For further information, please contact Artie Dubrie.

Fourth Partners' Meeting, Paris, France, 23 - 24 January 2008

The Green Customs Initiative held its 4th partners meeting on 23rd - 24th January at DTIE Paris, hosted by OzonAction which serves as the Secretariat of GCI. Representatives from the Secretariats of the Basel, Biological Diversity, CITES, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Chemical Weapons Conventions, the Montreal Protocol, WCO and UNEP (represented by DTIE and DELC) met to assess recent achievements and further develop cooperation and activities in the delivery of the GCI. A work plan was developed for 2008 which included collaboration between the partners on awareness-raising and training activities with customs and enforcement personnel around the world and the production and outreach of Green Customs materials. This Initiative is an excellent example of inter-agency and inter-organisational cooperation, both for the scope and diversity of its partners, as well as for the practical and targeted nature of its activities. In many ways this demonstrates how successful partnerships can be developed and is an excellent model for sort of cooperation encouraged in the spirit of "One UN" seeking to better coordinate the activities of the different United Nations agencies.

For further information, please contact Mr Ezra Clark

Please read the REPORT.

National Consultation in Bahrain on the Green Customs Initiative, 25-26 November 2007

For further information, please contact Mr Abdulelah Al Wadaee

Pacific Island Workshop on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, Apia, Samoa, 8-9 November 2007

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the SAICM Secretariat, with the financial support of the Governments of Australia, Sweden and Switzerland, are organizing a Pacific Island workshop on SAICM, which will be held in Apia, Samoa, from 8 to 9 November 2007. A session on the Green Customs Initiative is included in the agenda, which will be co-animated by UNEP, SPREP, with the participation of the Oceania Customs Organization.

For further information, please visit: http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm/meeting/pacific/default.htm or contact Mr Hamoudi Shubber

Green Customs Initiative (GCI) has been awarded 20th Anniversary Ozone Protection Award , Montreal, Canada, 20th September 2007

The Green Customs Initiative was honoured with the prestigious Ozone Protection Award in the category of 'partnerships' on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Please see Information Note

For further information, please consult:

WCO press release on awards received by WCO and by Green Customs partnership

http://ozone.unep.org/20th_Anniversary/awardees_and_winners.shtml

Communique of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Press Release: OPCW Receives Montreal Protocol "Partners Award"

Publication on Exemplary Projects: Green Customs Initiative, Page 4

Greater Mekong Sub-regional Green Customs Workshop, Bangkok, Thailand, 5-7 September 2007

For further information, please contact Ms Lugarde Coppens

Please read the workshop report.

Green Customs Workshop for West Africa, Dakar, Senegal, 8-10 August 2007

For further information, please contact Mr Patrick Salifu

Please read article, Cridem, "Douaniers et journalistes de l'environnement des pays francophones de l'Afrique"

2007 Millennium Goal Report highlights Montreal Protocol and flags illegal CFC trade

"A global effort to eliminate ozone-depleting substances is working, though damage to the ozone layer will persist for some time"

Read the full report

Green Customs Initiative Workshop for Indian Ocean Islands, Port Louis, Mauritius, 23-25 July 2007

For further information, please contact Mr Patrick Salifu

Please read the Report.

Workshop on Preventing Illegal Trade: public-private partnership, Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia, 28 - 29 June 2007

For further information, please contact Mr Atul Bagai.

Please see Declaration

National Green Customs Initiative Workshop, Mombasa, Kenya, 13-15 June 2007

For further information, please contact Mr Patrick Salifu.

Workshop on Prevention and Control of Illegal Trade in ODS and Technologies whose continued use is dependent on Annex A Group I CFCs

Castries, Saint Lucia, 22 - 24 May 2007

For further information, please contact Ms Artie Dubrie

Shanghai Customs College Hosts Regional Workshop to Help Customs Officers Protect the Environment

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner delivers keynote speech on 17 May at Shanghai Customs College.

The Green Customs Initiative is devising innovative approaches to work with customs administrations on environmental issues. This includes a regional training approach which will enable Regional Training Centres of the Word Customs Organization to include Green Customs training modules in their curriculum. This new phase in the Green Customs Initiative was launched for the Asia Pacific Region in Shanghai this week (15 - 18 May 2007).

For further information, please contact Ms Ludgarde Coppens

Please read UNEP Press Release

"Chinese Customs Officers Train to Detect Environmental Crimes", please read Article in Environment News Service

"U.N. Environment Program Collaborates With China to Prevent Smuggling Of Endangered Species in Asia", Article in AHN

Please read the Shanghai Train-the-trainer workshop report

Third Green Customs Partners Meeting, Brussels, 1-2 March 2007

On 1-2 March, 2007, WCO hosted the 3rd Meeting of the Partners of GCI at its headquarters in Brussels. The Meeting discussed the Progress Report of the Initiative since April 2006; the finalization of the Green Customs Training Guide; facilitated exchange of information on each Partners' activities with customs; prepared the work plan and strategy for disseminating the Guide in 2007. The Initiative was presented in the plenary of the Enforcement Committee by Mr Shende, on behalf of the Partners, on 2 March 2007. Mr Kunio Mikuriya, Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, launched the Guide (read his speech here) during a ceremony attended by Partners as well as officers participating in the Enforcement Committee. The Meeting ended with a questions and answers session with customs officers.

The following Partners participated or were represented: Secretariats of Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Ozone, CITES, OPCW and WCO. UNEP was represented by DELC and DTIE.

Launch of the Green Customs Guide, please read WCO News, No 53, page 47

Crack-down on Chemicals Criminals in Asia Pacific Registers First Successes, Bankgkok, 12 February 2007

"...Seizures of up to 64.8 tons of illegal ozone depleting substances (ODS) have been reported in China, India, Thailand and other countries following the start of Project Skyhole Patching."

Read the whole UNEP Information Note

UNEP Press Release, 14 December 2006: "Donor Governments Should Support On-going Cote d'Ivoire Emergency"

..."UNEP believes it is vital that proper, modern, waste reception facilities and customs and other staff, trained in areas like hazardous waste and illegal shipments, should also be in place in vulnerable developing countries like Cote d'Ivoire. A workshop, under UNEP's Green Customs Initiative, is now scheduled to take place in West Africa in early 2007".

Symposium on illegal international traffic in harzardous chemicals, 6-8 November 2006, Prague-Pruhonice, Czech Republic

The Czech Republic and the Chemicals Branch of the Division for Technology, Industry and Economics, United Nations Environment Programme, with the support of the German Government, is organizing a symposium on illegal international traffic in harzardous chemicals.

Contact: Mr Kaj Madsen (see: http://www.chem.unep.ch/unepsaicm/default.html)

UNEP's Division of Environmental Conventions (DEC) launched its "Manual on Compliance with and Enforcement of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)", which offers stakeholders a reference tool and guide for the effective implementation of MEAs. The Manual was launched in Geneva on the occasion of festivities to commemorate World Environment Day 2006 in early June. At the launch, UNEP-DEC Director Bakary Kante underlined the fact that the Manual will facilitate the use and application of the "Guidelines on Compliance with and Enforcement of Multilateral Environmental Agreements" (adopted in 2002 by the Governing Council of UNEP), by providing specific examples of best practices on how governments, NGOs, the private sector, and other institutions have used various approaches to ensure effective implementation of, compliance with and enforcement of MEAs. Fully searchable on-line and CD-ROM versions will be added in the near future to expand the Manual's practical use and value.

http://www.unep.org/dec/MEA_Manual.html

Project Sky Hole Patching

..."A project to curb illegal trade in ozone depleting substances (ODS) and dangerous waste in the Asia Pacific region went into operation today. "Project Sky Hole Patching" is designed to monitor the movement of suspicious shipments of ozone depleting chemicals and dangerous commodities across several customs territories in the region. It involves customs administrations and environment authorities, the World Customs Organisation's Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO A/P), United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP ROAP), the Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) of UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, Basel Convention Regional Centers and other key international organizations.

Read the full Press Release

Please read the Evaluation Report.