Prepared by: G. GuthrieEnvironmental Management Division

Office of the Prime Minister

Basel Convention: Customs Training in Jamaica

Focal Point – Office of the Prime Minister Competent Authority – National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA)

Natural Resources Conservation (Transboundary Movement) (Hazardous Waste) Regulations, 2002 and its 2009 amendment

Users’ Guide has been developed for generators/exporters of hazardous wastes to ‘navigate’ the Regulations (to be published in April 2011)

Basel Convention: Customs Training in Jamaica (cont’d)

MOU between NEPA and the Jamaica Customs Dept. (to be signed soon)

Hazardous Wastes Applications Review Committee (including representation from the Customs Dept.)

Multi-agency inspection team (established under the Transboundary Movement Regulations) which is responsible for the inspection of all hazardous wastes consignments prior shipment. This team also includes representation from the Customs Dept.

Sensitization sessions for key stakeholders groups: - Customs Officers (2) - Shipping Agents/Brokers - Mobile Phone Sector - Used lead acid batteries - Bauxite/Alumina Sector - Chemicals Sector - Insurance Sector (to be undertaken in 2011/2012 FY)

Challenges Link between the Basel codes and the WCO Harmonized

Codes

High turn over /transfer of customs staff

‘What next after seizure of illegal consignments?’Storage pending the resolution these issues in the Courts Risk Assessment and Management for Customs Officers

‘Real time’ communication between the FP and the CA with

Jamaica Customs relating to monitoring and enforcement

issues - inclusion in the AMANDA system

Stockholm Convention on POPs OCP: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade TCP: Office of the Prime Minister

Other public sector agencies which have an important role to play in the implementation of the Convention: Jamaica Customs Dept. Pesticides Control Authority Standards and Regulations Division of the Ministry of

Health

• The PCA and the MOH have an MOU with the Jamaica Customs Dept.

relating to the monitoring and enforcement of import permits

RecommendationsNational and sub-regional levels

Sensitization for the judiciary on the provisions of the chemicals-related MEAs (national and sub-regional levels)

Joint meetings between MEA FP and CAs and the

Customs Authorities

Establishment of sub-regional network to allow for the sharing of resources and expertise

Establishment of working relationships with external bodies, such as INTERPOL, INECE etc. with respect to building countries capacity for monitoring and enforcement (including customs authorities)

Recommendations (cont’d) Train-the-Trainer Programmes

Enhancement of laboratory capacities (whether at the national, where possible, and the sub-regional level

Harmonization of laws related to the implementation of MEAs (or at least examination of such instruments, where they exist)

Explore the MOU being recommended by the CARICOM Secretariat

International level Greater distribution of material already developed by the

relevant MEA secretariat (could be included in national customs training kits)

Assign of the subject of the GCI to an officer within UNEP ROLAC or UNEP CAR RCU