Third Sub-regional Training Course for Customs Officials on Technical Aspects of the Transfers Regime Held in Kenya

The OPCW and National Authority of Kenya organised two back-to-back training courses for customs officers from 6 to 10 June 2011 in Mombasa, Kenya, that were attended by 39 participants from 15 States Parties in East and Southern Africa.* The courses were organised in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE) International Non-proliferation Export Control Program, and with the US Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security Program.

The first training was on the technical aspects of the Transfers regime of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), undertaken by the OPCW from 6 to 8 June 2011. The course was the third of its kind for the two sub-regions and conducted under the auspices of the second phase of the OPCW’s Programme to Strengthen Cooperation with Africa on the CWC (“Africa Programme”). This course was followed by a Commodity Identification Training for the same participants, organised by the US DOE from 9 and 10 June 2011.

The course on the Transfers regime offered an overview of the CWC and the OPCW, the rights and obligations of States Parties, the role of National Authorities, and the need for effective stakeholder engagement. The agenda also covered the transfer-related provisions of the CWC and the identification of chemicals relevant to the Convention, including recommendations of the World Customs Organization to identify Scheduled chemicals in the Harmonised System.

The course familiarized participants with relevant information sources for customs officials and laboratories, including the Handbook on Chemicals, the Online Scheduled Chemicals database, the OPCW Central Analytical Database and other useful databases and websites. Participants discussed discrepancies in the reporting of transfers of Scheduled chemicals and practical customs-related matters such as the control of Scheduled chemicals in ports and free zones, risk assessment, trans-shipments, and software for customs services.

The course provided participants with information on practical ways to implement the Convention’s provisions and to eliminate discrepancies between quantities of Scheduled chemicals declared by importing and exporting States Parties in respect of the same transfers. Participants were also informed of the OPCW’s international cooperation and assistance activities and provided with an update on the delivery of the Africa Programme.

* Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Categories: International Cooperation, Non-proliferation of chemical weapons