26-28 November 2019, Shenzhen, China

The ROCB A/P Head Mr. Norikazu Kuramoto and Programe Manager Dr. Tong hua attended the debriefing on Operation of Thunderball & Demeter V and workshop in Shenzhen from 26 November to 28 November 2019. The debriefing was co-hosted by General Administration of China Customs (GACC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) on 26 November 2019, and started with keynote speeches made by China Customs Minister Ni Yuefeng, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya, and CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero at the opening ceremony.

The debriefing on Operation Thunderball against wildlife smuggling, co-organized with INTERPOL and with the support of other partners from the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) and on Operation Demeter V to enhance control of transboundary shipments of waste, with specific focus on plastic waste as well as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), both carried out this year, showcased Customs’ contribution to environmental sustainability and partnerships with environmental agencies, other law enforcement agencies and additional partners.

Mr. Kuramoto and Dr. Tong also joined the group to pay a field visit to Shenzhen Customs on 27 November, in which the delegates closely watched the field enforcement operations on the illegal trafficking of environmental goods and the cutting-edged smart system and equipment applied in the Customs frontline. At the invitation of the WCO Secretariat, Dr. Tong hua moderated the day 3 workshop on wildlife protection, solid waste control and ODS issues included the panel discussion. He especially enlivened the panel discussion and led the topics into information sharing, advanced technology, joint operation and future cooperation which shows the Customs community’s continuous commitment to protecting the environment and echoes the theme of this event – “Protecting our home planet, we are on the move”.

For more information, please write to us at rocb@rocbap.org