December 2012: The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) has coordinated a series of national training workshops to help customs and enforcement officers in Belize, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Kitts and Nevis prepare for their Montreal Protocol commitments involving hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

The national workshops, held in October and November 2012, were supported financially by the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund (MLF).

The workshops are linked to the countries’ HCFC Phaseout Management Plans (HPMPs) approved by the MLF’s Executive Committee. Under the Protocol, starting in 2013 developing countries must freeze their HCFC consumption, then reduce it 35% by 2020. Among other things, the HPMPs call for capacity building in enforcement of trade control of HCFCs and HCFC-based products and equipment.

The Belize training workshop was held from 23-25 October 2012, for high, mid and front line enforcement officers from border stations in Belize City, Corozol and Santa Elena, as well as officials from the Fire Service, Policy Department, Defense Force and Ministry of Fisheries, and other stakeholders. In Saint Kitts and Nevis a 7 November 2012 workshop trained 15 customs officers to conduct training of other enforcement officials and stakeholders.

A 13-14 November 2012 workshop in Dominica trained 18 high, mid and front line officers from Customs, the Fire Department, Standards Bureau, Ports Authority and Attorney General’s Chambers. In Saint Lucia three training sessions were held from 19-20 November 2012, two in the capital of Castries and town of Vieux-Fort, training 32 Customs and Marine Police officers. [UNEP Press Release]