The Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) in Abu Dhabi organised a regional workshop to highlight the importance of ‘green customs’ concepts and the role of the customs administrations in the initiative.

The workshop was held in collaboration with the Customs Training Institute in Riyadh for 36 specialists from regional and local administrations.

This initiative follows the efforts of the General Administration of Customs in Abu Dhabi in applying the best practices and international standards adopted by the World Customs Organization.

It also falls in line with the initiatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that were launched in June 2003 in cooperation with Interpol and United Nations Offices on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

These initiatives reflect a number of international agreements that regulate the proper procedures for transporting hazardous chemicals and radioactive waste.

The workshop was commenced by Abu Bakr Al-Fahim, director of Training and Capacity Building Division at the General Administration of Customs in Abu Dhabi.

The workshop was followed by a lecture presented by Dr Mohammed Ateeq Al Dosari, who explained the various terminologies relating to the training programme, including the identification of ‘sustainable development’, and its role in providing productive and socio-economic conservation of natural resources and growth solutions.

These will work towards ensuring that citizens becomes well-equipped in this concept and become active participants in decision making processes relating to this issue in their different fields, he said.

Al Dosari also presented a series of important recommendations that contribute to reducing negative effects of chemicals and best practices for environmental conservation. This can be done through the development of operational plans for all agreements on Green Customs and through the restriction of hazardous substances in the transfer of waste, pesticides, and the protection of creatures.

He pointed out the importance of localizing mechanisms to monitor and report trafficking of imported and exported chemicals by also paying attention to alternative techniques that help protect the ozone layer. He also stressed on the importance of maintaining the efforts first initiated by the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG).

ROCB in Abu Dhabi was established after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the World Customs Organisation, the Federal Customs Authority and the Department of Finance- General Administration of Customs in January, 2010. – TradeArabia News Service