Doha: A training workshop organised via video conference by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), represented by the Department of Radiation and Chemicals Protection, in cooperation with the General Authority of Customs and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), for customs officials and inspectors concluded yesterday, in the presence of 120 participants.
The three-day workshop comes in the framework of the State of Qatar’s commitment to implement the activities listed within the first phase the Hydrofluorocarbons Phase Out Management Plan (HPMP), and it is the first of its kind to be implemented remotely.
Its trainers were from the Ministry’s Department of Radiation and Chemicals Protection, and the United Nations Environment Program and covered several axes, including the Montreal Protocol and laws and procedures related to customs locally and internationally.
The workshop also dealt with a number of issues including the topic of ozone layer depletion, the Montreal Protocol and the national system for licensing the import and export of ozone-depleting substances, the role of the national ozone unit in this regard, as well as a discussion of international obligations, illegal trade, procedures and the role of customs in relation to substances that deplete the ozone layer.
It is noteworthy that Qatar joined the Montreal Convention of 1966. One of the most important achievements was the implementation of the quota system for companies importing air-conditioning and refrigeration materials monitored according to the Montreal Protocol, adopting an electronic system for importing ozone-depleting substances, and holding regular meetings.
