GCI is a partnership of international entities cooperating to prevent the illegal trade in environmentally-sensitive commodities and substances. Furthermore, in 2008 the WCO Council adopted a Recommendation concerning Actions against Cross-Border Environmental Offences, outlining steps to be taken by Customs administrations to enhance their capabilities in this area. Since 2001, the WCO has been an active partner in the Green Customs Initiative (GCI), a series of collaborative activities by partner organizations coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which is aimed at raising Customs officers’ awareness of trade-related MEAs. Therefore, the WCO has ensured over time that Customs remains at the forefront of actions taken to tackle environmental crime. In order to respond effectively to environmental crimes, the international community has concluded a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) containing international trade-related provisions, such as the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury.Ĭustoms plays an essential role in the implementation of these MEAs and the fight against environmental crime. Pollution of air, water and land, extinction of wildlife and depletion of natural resources evoke consequences on an unprecedented scale. Environmental crime is a serious global issue that has wide-reaching implications, not only for biodiversity but also for national and international security, social and economic development, and global health.
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