The OPCW organized a training course for customs authorities in South and South East Asia on the technical aspects of the Transfers’ regime of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) from 27 September to 1 October 2010, hosted by the Royal Malaysian Customs Training Academy (AKMAL) in Malacca. The training was attended by 36 participants from 17 States Parties* and from Myanmar, which is not a State Party to the Convention.
The course included an overview of the CWC and the OPCW, the rights and obligations of States Parties, the role of the National Authority, and need for effective interaction with stakeholders. The agenda furthermore covered identification of chemicals relevant to the CWC, current recommendations of the World Customs Organization on the identification of Scheduled chemicals in the Harmonised System, and sources of information for customs officials and customs laboratories, including the Handbook on Chemicals and OPCW Central Analytical Database.
The training aimed to eliminate discrepancies between the quantities of Scheduled chemicals declared by importing and exporting States Parties in respect of the same transfers. Participants explored discrepancies in the reporting of transfers of Scheduled chemicals and practical matters such as control of Scheduled chemicals in free ports and free zones, risk assessment, transshipments, and software for customs services. They also visited a facility at Port Klang to observe and understand procedures adopted by the Royal Malaysian Customs Authority to monitor the import and export of chemicals.
The training course was funded through a voluntary contribution by the Republic of Korea.
* Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam
OPCW NEWS 31/2010 THE HAGUE, 8 OCTOBER 2010