Trade in environmentally sensitive commodies under focus at Grenada workshop

Approximately 35 Customs Officers and Border Control Officials in Grenada are to attend a workshop to raise their awareness of the enforcement of international laws on trade in environmentally sensitive commodities.

The workshop will be held November 11-13, 2014, at the Grenada National Stadium, St. George’s. It will be conducted by the CARICOM Secretariat under the Project for Capacity-Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries, funded by the European Union (EU).  Its main objective is to enhance Caribbean countries’ capacity to implement multilateral environmental agreements, and to improve countries’ management of their environment and natural resources.

To fulfill this objective training sessions, technical assistance, awareness raising and policy support and advisory services are being provided.

The first Regional Customs Workshop under the project was held at the World Customs Organization Regional Training Centre in the Dominican Republic, in July 2012.  Coming out of this workshop it was recommended that training sessions be held at national level to widen its reach and impact.

The first national workshop was held in Saint Lucia in April 2013. The workshop in Grenada will be the second workshop under the project and will be delivered in partnership with the Grenada Customs and Excise Department.

The workshop will be delivered using a Customs Handbook and learning kit developed by the CARICOM Secretariat in 2012.  The Handbook has been disseminated in hard copy and in electronic format to Customs Administrations in all CARICOM Member States. The workshop will also feature sessions on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), facilitated by Mr. Jonathan Barzdo of the CITES Secretariat.