The World Customs Organization (WCO), expanding on its vision of “Customs fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet”, has been incorporated as a full member of the Environmental Network for Optimizing Regulatory Compliance on Illegal Traffic (ENFORCE) under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Basel Convention).

ENFORCE’s mission is to promote compliance of the Parties to the Basel Convention by initiating efforts to prevent and combat illegal traffic in hazardous and other wastes through better implementation and enforcement of national law. ENFORCE aims at bringing together existing resources and enhancing and improving cooperation and coordination between relevant entities, with a specific mandate to deliver enforcement capacity building activities and tools to prevent and combat illegal traffic in wastes.

The WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, said that “efforts to address environmental issues remain at the forefront of the global Customs agenda, and all WCO Members are urged to make further efforts to ensure environmental sustainability”. “WCO Members are encouraged to establish partnerships and expand cooperation with national competent authorities and focal points established under the Basel Convention,” he added.

The international Customs community plays a key role in combating illegal trade in hazardous wastes, and the WCO’s involvement in ENFORCE signals Customs’ commitment to intensify efforts in mitigating illegal hazardous wastes in the international supply chain.