Southeast Asia Ozone Officers and Customs Authorities join forces to strengthen enforcement of ODS/HFC licensing system
UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team in collaboration with the Government of Vietnam organized a Network Meeting of Southeast Asia (SEA) National Ozone Officers (NOOs) in Halong City from 13-15 March 2023 to facilitate the Network countries to share experiences/good practices in various areas under the Montreal Protocol. The meeting was also a platform to facilitate regional cooperation between SEA NOOs and Customs authorities to further strengthen enforcement of licensing system through integrated approaches at the Twinning National Ozone Officers – Customs Workshop on ODS/HFC Trade Control and Reporting held from 16–17 March 2023.
The Network Meeting had both plenary and breakout sessions with 38 participants in person (23 Female/15 Male) from 10 Network countries. Also in attendance were resource persons and representatives from Australia, the Ozone Secretariat and the Multilateral Fund Secretariat, GIZ, UNDP, UNIDO, the World Bank, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Vehicle Refrigerant WG/Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Tradewater, and Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
In his remarks, Mr Shaofeng Hu, Senior Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator for Asia-Pacific, said, ‘’The safe and efficient cold chain for temperature-sensitive products like food and medication, comfort cooling for our homes and workplaces, safe vaccine storage, and skilled job creation are all benefits of the growing usage of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. HFC management strategies will help countries comply with the 2024 freeze while maintaining economic growth. However, developing the right approach requires understanding on how and where each HFC is used and the problems each sector has in phasing down HFCs.’’
SEA NOOs discussed the development of the Kigali HFC Implementation Plan (KIP), covering both project preparation and HFC phase-down strategy with linkages to energy efficiency and engaging with the industry to meet the country needs. Participants also recognized the need for engagement and intervention in the mobile air-conditioning (MAC) sector, which has not been involved since the CFC phase-out. Also discussed were the options for the environmentally sound management of used or unwanted controlled substances, and implementation of the Institutional Strengthening Project based on increased funding level as approved by the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund. The 2023 strategy for communications and outreach and gender mainstreaming were also covered as well as the 2023 CAP services to identify support needed from UNEP CAP.
Vietnam’s National Ozone Coordinator, Ms. Nguyen Dang Thu Cuc, stated, “The meeting presents an excellent opportunity for the country because we are currently preparing our Kigali HFC phase-down implementation plan. The meeting’s agenda has provided greater context, and the interactions we’ve had with other countries, implementing agencies, and other meeting participants—including advice on the phase-down of HFCs in the automotive sector—have provided more guidance to my country”
Following the Network Meeting, the Twinning NOOs-Customs Workshop on ODS/HFC Trade Control and Reporting was conducted on 16–17 March 2023. The functions of NOOs and the Customs in relation to the enforcement and monitoring of licensing system under the Montreal Protocol in light of a meaningful collaboration was the central theme of the workshop. Participants discussed and identified current mechanisms and further brainstormed existing workstream of the Customs in which the Montreal Protocol control could be integrated into the daily operation of Customs from the beginning to the end of the trade chain including trade control, customs clearance and declaration (national single window system, risk profiling, harmonized system code, monitoring and reporting of ODS/HFC trade control data (data management and reconciliation), enforcement beyond customs’ checkpoint (market inspection, post-clearance audit) and regional collaboration.
The workshop had both plenary and breakout sessions with 42 participants in person (23 Female/19 Male) from 10 countries and resource persons from Australia, the Ozone Secretariat, the Multilateral Fund Secretariat and Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO AP). Colleagues from UNEP Law Division also attended the workshop as observers.
The NOOs were encouraged to explore collaboration opportunities with the Customs and other national enforcement agencies in relevant workstreams to strengthen enforcement of the licensing system not only at the customs checkpoint but also beyond. The collaboration among different stakeholders is believed to effectively empower the joint efforts in enforcement into tangible successes.
“Customs have the mandate to facilitate trade while complying with national regulation. The use of different mechanisms can enhance the enforcement of the licensing system to fight against illegal trade of banned substances.”. This meeting brought good practices in other countries and could be a good starting point for NOOs and Customs to explore potential areas of collaboration suitable for the country context. said Mr. Kong Sokphallakun, Cambodia’s Deputy Director of Finance and Personnel Department.
The UNEP CAP team and SEA network countries expressed their gratitude to the Department of Climate Change and the General Department of Vietnam Customs for their hospitality and collaboration.
Noting the important roles of Customs, the Green Customs Initiative was organized in parallel with the Network Meeting from 13–15 March 2023 to educate the customs authorities on their roles in the implementation of national legislation in compliance with multilateral environmental agreements.
The meetings were organized by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), Asia and the Pacific Office as part of its approved 2023 Work Programme under the Multilateral Fund.