Regional course for the prevention and prosecution of illicit traffic in chemicals and hazardous waste LAC

Date: March 31, 2023 

Time: 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Panama time (GMT-5) 

Venue: Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Panama City 

Format: hybrid: in person (Panama City) / virtual (ZOOM) 

Interpretation in virtual format: Simultaneous interpretation Spanish<>English 

Link to the event recording

The illicit traffic of chemicals and waste is growing at an alarming rate worldwide, generating huge profits for criminal organizations and at the same time having a major impact on the environment. Therefore, it is a priority to train officials and prosecutors from Public Prosecutor's Offices, as well as from the justice system in general, so that they acquire specialized knowledge about the problem and the ways to investigate and prevent this type of offenses, and at the same time, contribute to the compliance with international conventions and programmes on chemicals and wastes.

Based on the guideline to undertake activities for the development of implementation and compliance capacities that could help the Parties to the Basel Convention to prevent and combat illegal traffic in hazardous wastes and other wastes, the training of compliance and prosecution organs is relevant.

Therefore, on March 31, 2023, an event was held in Panama City to launch the Training Course on the Prevention and Prosecution of Illicit Traffic and International Trade in Chemicals and Wastes, held jointly by the Basel Convention Regional Center for the South American Region (CRBAS), located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Basel Convention Regional Center for Central America and Mexico, located at the University of Panama, with the support of the UN Environment Programme. In addition, the event included the attendance of the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, and the Executive Secretary of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD).

Participants and highlights 

The event counted with the participation of different sectors of society and from several countries in the region. Carlos Martin-Novella, Deputy Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, emphasized that the course will contribute to inter-agency collaboration and the implementation of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution to prevent and combat crimes against the environment, which have become the most lucrative crimes in the world. 

The Executive Secretary of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development, Jair Urriola, emphasized the following: "It is important that we can provide support to the countries from the regional level, so that they can achieve their compliance goals in the chemical management agreements. The initiative that we are launching today is of great importance, as it strengthens this space for institutional strengthening in the framework of chemical control for our countries. 

For her part, the Director of the Basel Regional Center for South America, Leila Devia, highlighted the importance of this issue, which has been demanded by the countries of the region since the ratification of the three conventions and, above all, since the ratification of the Basel Convention, in which there is a specific article on illicit traffic. She also mentioned that this course is designed to cover the entire region in judicial and customs matters. Broad participation is fundamental and, therefore, it will be offered in Spanish and English. 

"These spaces are critical to strengthen especially the implementation and enforcement of the Basel Convention, in relation to the reporting of cases of illegal traffic, information and best practices across the region that contribute to prevent and combat illicit traffic, the development of national legislation, regional cooperation frameworks, as well as the strengthening of institutions and judicial processes in the countries." Stated the Regional Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Juan Bello. 

Green Customs: one of UNEP's leading initiatives 

Furthermore, UNEP announced the Green Customs initiative, which aims to provide training for customs and other border control officials to monitor and facilitate legal trade, and to detect and prevent illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods under trade-related conventions and Multilateral Environmental Agreements.