30 December 2019, Muscat ̶ Illegal trade in substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), undermines national commitments under this international environmental agreement. It also violates national laws, deprives the government of rightful income, and supports other forms of illegal activity. Customs officials worldwide, including those in Oman, are highly committed to protecting their borders by fighting this illicit chemical trade. To help strengthen the country's Customs Officials and other enforcement officers to address this issue, the UNEP OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme in West Asia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of the Sultanate of Oman, and the Directorate General-Customs Authority conducted a targeted capacity building workshop to Combat Illegal Trade of Ozone Depleting Substances and Safe Handling of Alternatives from 22-24 December 2019 in the capital city of Muscat.
Customs Officers and other enforcement officials from the different ports of the Sultanate of Oman were trained on how to effectively implement the country's updated regulations and policies. The Sultanate of Oman is considering the ratification of the Montreal Protocol's Kigali Amendment, which controls refrigerants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Ratification of that Amendment will lead to changes in the regulations and will require Customs to closely monitor and control the trade of HFCs.
Since customs officers may encounter refrigerant cylinders when they conduct their inspections, the participants were also trained on procedures to safely handle alternative refrigerants that may be either toxic, high pressure or flammable. Those alternative refrigerants, which were developed to replace HCFCs and, in some cases, HFCs, may soon enter the market as industries and consumers shift to more environmentally-friendly refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
To ensure long-term sustainability of this training, the updated course provided by UNEP will be adopted into the curricula of Oman's national Customs training academy. Thus institutionalized, it will be regularly used to train new Customs and Enforcement Officers to combat illegal trade of ozone-depleting substances and safely handle refrigerants.
For further information :
Khaled Klaly
Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator for West Asia
UNEP OzonAction
Manama, Bahrain
Email: Khaled.klaly@un.org
