In line with Dubai Customs training program launched in 2012, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) ; a three- day training course for Customs Inspectors was held aiming at better informing them on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The course was tailored to elevate the inspectors competency and better equip their knowledge on the wild life and endangered species preservation.
The program – launched as per the joint cooperation agreement signed with between Dubai Customs and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) – aims at familiarizing the participants’ with the CITES provisions and the UAE’s commitment in enforcing it. The workshop facilitators also offered detailed presentations on the local legislations, mechanisms for issuing permits and the competent authorities in charge of protecting scarce wildlife.
Holding this training session affirms DC’s solid commitment towards the enforcement of international conventions banning the trade of endangered species. “The launching of this program in collaboration with the MOEW –DC’s strategic partner in raising awareness on illegal trade of endangered species of wild fauna and flora – accords with DC’s determined efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade in accordance with CITES convention, which the UAE ratified in 1990,” said Dr. Abdul Wahab Al Madani, Director of Customs Training Centre.
Al Madani added that “This campaign is a continuum of DC’s efforts thriving to elevate the competence of inspectors in combating and deterring attempts to smuggle all sorts of endangered wild animals and flora. For DC has no compromise whatsoever when it comes to the protection of the society and the environment as whole, as it fully abides by all local and international laws and regulations on this regard. Besides the fact that DC is always keen on furnishing its inspectors with the proper knowledge and tools advancing their set of skills and competencies, consequently becoming more effective in performing their tasks to shield the local economy and society from the entry of any counterband, and to further daunt its trafficking into other countries’ via air, land and water ports. In return, this would boost Dubai Customs’ well-earned international status.”
It is worth noting that since the program was launched in 2012, 120 DC inspectors were trained on the CITES Convention provisions as per the signed bilateral agreement between DC and IFAW. The training paid off in discouraging numerous trafficking attempts of endangered species.
Dubai Customs also works hand in hand with its strategic partners, namely the MOEW and local and international entities concerned with nature and environment preservation, in launching awareness campaigns on endangered species as well as updating their nomenclature lists on a regular basis. This collaborative endeavour also extends to the dissemination of surveys through social media channels and informing the public on the efforts undertaken by Dubai Customs in this area and on the latest developments in this subject matter.