UNODC/ GCI Joint practical training course, Panama City, Panama

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC)/ GCI training workshop was held in Panama City, 4-6 October 2010. The meeting was opened by the Deputy Director of Panama Customs, Mr Aquilino Tejeira, UNEP's Regional Deputy Director, Ms Mara Murillo, Mr Jose Manuel Martinez Morales of UNODC and Mr John Sellar, Chief of Enforcement Assistance at CITES Secretariat.

The workshop focused on risk profiling and inspection techniques, with a focus on commodities controlled under CITES and ODS. Participants comprised front-line customs officers of the Port Units based in Balboa Port and Manzanillo Port in Panama, police and key officers at Customs HQ in Panama also participated. The workshop combined presentations with practical exercises and working group discussions. Panama Customs Director, Ms Gloria Morena de Lopez, awarded certificates to participants in the closing ceremony.