Fighting Illicit Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in Kyrgyzstan under the Global Container Control Programme

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia conducted a specialized national training on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) under the UNODC - the World Customs Organization (WCO) Global Container Control Programme (CCP) in Bishkek and Osh, Kyrgyz Republic on 9-10 October 2018. The event served as a follow up to the first specialized training on CITES held in Bishkek in April 2018 and aimed to further strengthen the skills of the officers of the State Customs Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in fighting illicit trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora, as well as developing of interagency cooperation in this field. Thirty officers from the State Customs Service, including members of the Port Control Units in Bishkek and Osh, participated in the event with national experts from the State Agency of Environment Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (SAEPF) - Administrative unit of CITES in Kyrgyzstan acting as instructors.

The training covered various thematic areas and practical exercises on CITES implementation at national level. The Customs officers gained knowledge on identification of original and fake CITES documents/permits, special conditions on import or export of species under CITES, and reviewed cases on CITES related crimes including risk indicators and further case handling process.

The training also provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the mechanisms of interagency cooperation between SAEPF and State Customs Service in the area of fighting illicit trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Recommendations on follow-up joint actions have been determined including reconciliation of the CITES permits issued by SAEPF and actual export records reported by Customs Service. Within the framework of the training, CCP developed and distributed thematic brochures on effective customs control of specimens under Convention in international trade.

The CCP Regional Segment for Central Asia is funded by Government of Japan, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Export Control and Related Border Security Program (EXBS).

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