OSCE trains customs officers on detecting and preventing environmental crimes

A regional workshop designed to build the capacity of customs authorities in detecting the illegal trafficking of hazardous waste, pesticides, ozone-depleting substances and endangered plants and animals, was co-organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine on 30 September and 1 October 2014.

The training, organized in co-operation with the Fiscal Service of Ukraine, brought together representatives of customs authorities from OSCE participating States in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Participants noted that as more and more people and goods cross borders each year, it is essentialthat environmentally-sensitive items such as hazardous waste, pesticides and ozone-depleting substances are effectively detected at the border to help prevent environmental crimes and protect the environment and people’s health.

Participants shared experiences, good practices and lessons learnt. This was followed on 2 October with a training course on how to use specially-trained dogs to detect rare and endangered animals and plants and their derivatives.

This workshop was organized within the framework of the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative, as part of a series of workshops to build the capacity of customs, border and environmental authorities in on detecting and preventing environmental crimes.