The Green Customs Initiative

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Report Illegal Trade in ODS
IFEJ-UNEP Media Workshop 21 April 2008 Thanavat
Junchaya, UNEP
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Background

• Based on Regional Project to promote cooperation
  between Customs and Ozone Officers to control and
  monitor ODS import/export supported by Sweden and
  implemented by UNEP from 2002-2006
• Written by Liu Ning, China Customs / Regional
  Intelligence Liaison Office Asia-Pacific while
  working at UNEP as a consultant from 2005-2008

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Key Findings

• Asia Pacific Region (China-India-South Korea)
  accounted for 70 global productions of CFC
• Smuggling motives
• Restricted legal supply through licensed
  importers
• High tax on ODS (some countries)
• High residual demand to service existing
  refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment
• Lax control by the customs
• Low penalty if caught / prosecuted

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Study on Trade Data

• Large Discrepancies of Trade Data
• Compare trade data between exporting and
  importing countries usually data from exporting
  country is higher than importing country
• Could be data input error, different customs
  code, or
• Illegal trade throughmisdeclaration of goods at
  the port of entry, divert to other destination

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Some Examples
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Tools to Combat Illegal Trade

• National customs training to monitor and control
  ODS
• Project Sky Hole Patching
• Development and exchange of ODS licensing
  information sheet
• Informal Prior Informed Consent
• Green Customs Initiative

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Sky-Hole Patching Project

• Approved by 11th WCO Regional Conference of Heads
  of Administrations in Beijing in April,2006
  Cambodia is one of 20 participating Customs
  agencies
• Mechanism
• Monitoring system
• Immediate Seizure Notification System
• Mutual Assistance (Investigation Prosecution)
• Implemented in two phases
• Phase I started 1 Sep 06 for six months and
  focus on ODS
• Phase II started Mar 07 and include hazardous
  waste

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informal Prior Informed Consent (iPIC)

• Asia Pacific Region 2 main ODS producing and
  exporting countries (China and India) and major
  transit hub (Singapore)
• Agreement by key exporting countries in
  Asia-Pacific and EU to implement informal Prior
  Informed Consent (iPIC) on ODS before granting
  export license to their exporters
• Circulation of ODS licensing information sheet
  among 23 countries in Asia-Pacific and EU

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Green Customs Initiative

• Aim to create awareness among customs officers on
  their role in enforcing multilateral
  environmental agreements (MEAs) including
  approaches and techniques used by illegal traders
  and traffickers and how to combat them.
• CITES endangered species
• Basel Convention hazardous waste
• Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention hazardous
  chemicals and pesticides
• Montreal Protocol ozone depleting substances
• Train-the-trainer workshop, Shanghai Customs
  College, May 07
• Green Customs Workshop for Greater Mekong
  Sub-regional Countries, Bangkok, Sep
  07,co-organized by Royal Thailand Customs, WCO
  ROCB, UNEP and other MEA Secretariats

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QA