The WCO in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (Ozone Action) and the Basel Convention Secretariat, has conducted awareness raising workshops for the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) respectively, to sensitize their Customs departments on the Basel Convention and the Montreal Protocol. The workshops were held consecutively on 13th to 15th July in Nairobi, Kenya; and from 18th to 20th July 2022, in Dar Es Salem, Tanzania, under the auspices of the Sida–WCO Trade Facilitation and Customs Modernization (TFCM) Programme for Sustainable Development in Sub–Saharan Africa, with funding from the Government of Sweden.

The three-day events emphasized the important role of Customs administrations in fighting against climate change and contributing to the sustainability of the global environment. In that regard, the WCO’s role in cooperating with other global partners to ensure Customs administrations are effective in implementing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as the Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movement of hazardous waste, and the Montreal Protocol on the control of substances that deplete the ozone layer, was highlighted with clear objective. A team of experts from the WCO, UNEP and the Basel Convention Secretariat conducted interactive discussions and presentations on addressing the critical areas and issues that affect Customs and Environment agencies to efficiently implement controls for the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, and ozone depleting substances regulated by the two agreements.

To that end, a combined total of forty-one participants representing KRA and the Kenya National Environment Management Authority (23); as well as, TRA and the Tanzania National Environment Management Council (18), benefitted from the workshop by enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the policies, trends and enforcement controls related to the Basel Convention and Montreal Protocol. The interactions also fostered the commitments between Customs Administrations and Environment national agencies, to collaborate better at the borders.

Based on continued technical collaboration with the WCO Environment Programme, UNEP–Ozone Action, and the Basel Convention Secretariat, the Sida-WCO TFCM Programme will provide further technical assistance to Customs administrations in the SADC and EAC regions to address the trade related issues that adversely affect the environment while implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.  

For more information on the Sida-WCO TFCM Programme, kindly contact: capacity.building@wcoomd.org.