Brussels, 21 March 2012
Report
Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, hosted Swedish Minister of Trade, Ewa Björling, for a working lunch to discuss international Customs and trade issues on 21 March 2012. Their discussions covered a variety of issues of mutual interest, including Sweden’s support for WCO capacity building activities, particularly in areas relating to environment crime and integrity.
The Government of Sweden has generously agreed to continue sponsoring the WCO Great Apes and Integrity (GAPIN) Project, which is aimed at assisting a selected number of African Customs administrations in their fight against the illicit trafficking in wildlife protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Secretary General Mikuriya took the opportunity to present the Minister with a poster designed to raise awareness for the first GAPIN project in 2010. The second project will be launched later this year with a focus on a wider variety of endangered species, such as rhinoceros, elephants and pangolin as well as great apes.