Mozambique Revenue Authority drafts action plan for enforcement of the CITES convention

26 October 2017

Under the auspices of the WCO-INAMA project , the WCO and the Mozambique Revenue Administration assessed the capacity of the Mozambique Revenue Authority (MRA) to combat the illicit trade in endangered species protected by the Washington Convention (also known as the CITES convention).

The mission took place from the 25th to 29th September 2017. The Institutional Assessment Tool developed under the auspices of the WCO-INAMA project was used to conduct this diagnostic, which was based on the self-assessment conducted previously by MRA.

During the mission the WCO Delegation met with the Acting President of MRA Mr. Augusto Tacarindua (Director General of Tax) and the Director General of Customs Mr. Aly Mallá as well as with relevant MRA managers and officers. The delegation also met with the Deputy Attorney-General responsible for combating crimes against biodiversity, in particular, forbidden hunting and exploitation of forest resources. The Mozambique government has set up a platform for managing and coordinating enforcement responses by all relevant agencies in order to facilitate and strengthen cooperation in the fight against the illegal trade in endangered species..

This mission represented an important step forward, enabling defined internal stakeholders to work closely in identifying key issues relevant to the drafting of annual work plans as well as defining the future cooperation between MRA and the WCO in fighting illegal wildlife trade.

The INAMA project is funded by the CITES Secretariat, GiZ, the government of Sweden, and the US Department of State. This particular activity was sponsored by Sweden.

For more information about this mission and the WCO-INAMA Project, please contact the WCO-INAMA project manager, Marco Foddi (marco.foddi@wcoomd.org). For information on ICWWC and the WCO Environment Programme, please contact Roux Raath, WCO Compliance-Environment Programme, (Roux.RAATH@wcoomd.org).