Imagine a shipping container filled with illegal ivory attempting to slip past border controls, only to be intercepted by trained customs officers. This scenario represents more than just a successful seizure—it highlights the critical role of customs agencies in global environmental protection.
To enhance Asia-Pacific customs authorities' capacity to combat illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods, the World Customs Organization (WCO) Environment Program partnered with the Regional Office for Capacity Building in Asia-Pacific (ROCB A/P). With financial support from China's Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF/China), they conducted a Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) enforcement workshop from March 12-16, 2023, at the Royal Malaysian Customs Academy (AKMAL) in Langkawi.
Understanding Multilateral Environmental Agreements
MEAs are legally binding international treaties designed to address global and regional environmental challenges. These agreements cover diverse issues including biodiversity conservation, climate change, ozone layer protection, hazardous waste management, and wildlife trade regulation.
Through international cooperation, MEAs coordinate environmental policies and actions across nations. Given international trade's significant environmental impact, these agreements often incorporate trade-related provisions such as import/export controls, licensing systems, and information exchange mechanisms.
Customs' Pivotal Role in MEA Enforcement
As frontline border management agencies, customs authorities perform essential functions in implementing MEAs:
- Trade monitoring: Inspecting imports and exports for compliance with MEA requirements, such as verifying CITES permits for protected species
- Illicit trade prevention: Combating violations like illegal hazardous waste shipments or ozone-depleting substance smuggling through risk management and intelligence operations
- Trade facilitation: Streamlining clearance processes for legitimate, compliant shipments
- International cooperation: Coordinating with global counterparts, environmental agencies, and international organizations to combat environmental crimes
Workshop Curriculum and Participation
The five-day program equipped 25 officers from 19 Asia-Pacific customs administrations with specialized knowledge and practical skills through:
- Comprehensive MEA overviews including CITES, Basel Convention, and Montreal Protocol
- Analysis of global environmental trade trends and emerging threats
- Risk assessment methodologies using trade data analytics
- Document verification and cargo inspection techniques
- International cooperation frameworks
- Regional best practice exchanges
Participating nations included Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.
Key Environmental Trade Challenges
Workshop discussions identified persistent regional threats requiring prioritized attention:
- Illegal wildlife trafficking
- Hazardous waste dumping
- Smuggling of ozone-depleting substances
- Illicit trade in dangerous chemicals
Notable Multilateral Environmental Agreements
Major MEAs influencing international trade include:
- CITES: Regulates trade in endangered species
- Basel Convention: Controls transboundary hazardous waste movements
- Montreal Protocol: Phases out ozone-depleting substances
- Stockholm Convention: Eliminates persistent organic pollutants
- Paris Agreement: Addresses climate change mitigation
Workshop Outcomes and Future Directions
The training significantly enhanced participants' MEA implementation capabilities while fostering regional cooperation networks. The WCO acknowledged Malaysia Customs, China's Customs Cooperation Fund, and ROCB A/P for their support in delivering this capacity-building initiative.
As environmental crimes grow increasingly sophisticated, such collaborative efforts strengthen the global customs network's ability to protect ecological systems through effective trade controls.