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The Green Customs Initiative is an example of developing
synergybetween the Montreal Protocol and other multilateral
environmental agreements (MEAs) about a specific need expressed
by developing countries and countries with economies in transition:
building the capacity of customs officers in monitoring the
trade of commodities as controlled under MEAs.
This Initiative aims at strengthening compliance and enforcement
of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Illegal trade
in 'environmentally-sensitive' commodities such as ozone depleting
substances (ODS), toxic chemicals, hazardous wastes and endangered
species is an international problem with serious consequences.
Several MEA Secretariats (of the Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam
Conventions, CITES, the Montreal Protocol), UNEP Divisions
and Regional Offices, Interpol and the World Customs Organization
(WCO) are cooperating on this cross-cutting initiative. The
role of this project is to operationalize this concept through
integrated capacity building for customs officers within the
MEA enforcement chain. It is coordinated by UNEP's Division
of Technology, Industry and Economics through its OzonAction
programme.
The Governments of Norway, Finland and the Czech Republic
have financially supported this Initiative. The Organisation
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is also contributing
to the organisation of the workshops, as well as UNEP's Division
of Environmental Conventions.
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