Customs brokers on the island will be engaged in a one day workshop which will equip them with the skills to assist in the phase out process of ozone depleting substances in the country.
The workshop organized by the Environmental Coordinating Unit of the Ministry of Environment is scheduled for the Roseau Fisheries Complex.
The session will focus mainly on international response of the depletion of the ozone layer and the role customs brokers play in the Montreal Protocol Compliance at the national level and the role of Asycuda World.
Ozone Officer at the Environmental Coordinating Unit, Bradley Guye says the workshop will train the officers on proper classification of ozone depleting substances, products and refrigerants.
“Customs brokers are very much in the forefront of producing the entries relating to ozone depleting substances. Every year, the data of the entries of imports are provided in our national reporting to the funding agencies. Dominica does not export any ozone depleting substances so we mainly deal with the imports. We contact the customs department who are very helpful and supportive in giving us the data. The customs brokers are the main ones responsible for producing the entries and sometimes the entries are not done specifically. They don’t always highlight those ozone depleting substances that we would like to have identified. Online reporting is a criteria and has to be standardized so it is a must that these substances be determined. The new harmonized or HS codes has been implemented so they need to be aware of the proper classifications, the numbers etc so this training will assist in this area.”
The capacity building training exercise is being supported by the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Ms. Donna-Lyn Charles from the United Nations environment programme has agreed to assist us. She was here last year for this training and had a wonderful and interactive capacity building training and she will be back to conduct this training once again. Also Mr. Lawrence Thompson from the Belize Customs Department, who is an expert in Asycuda and risk management, will be facilitating most of the entries and examples to be done by the brokers, so we are quite happy about that.”
As a party to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, Dominica is committed to phase out the consumption and importation of all ozone depleting substances.
Dominica has successfully phased out chlorofluorocarbons and is currently implementing the hydrochlorofluorocarbon phase out management plan which aims to gradually eliminate the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCS).