Uganda, 16 December 2024 – Customs, forestry and CITES Management Authorities from 12 African countries have enhanced their skills in timber shipment inspection, wood species identification and CITES regulation enforcement. Over a week-long training in Uganda (25-29 November), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) equipped officials from countries affected by the illegal trade in CITES-listed tree species with technical expertise and best practices in detecting fraud and enforcing legislation to curb the supply of illegal wood products. Officials from Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia participated in the regional training.
The African continent faces the highest annual rate of deforestation in the world due to illegal logging, unsustainable agricultural practices, and urbanization. This deforestation poses severe implications for ecosystems, human livelihoods and health, contributing to biodiversity loss and climate change. While most countries have national policies and legal frameworks to protect forest areas, implementation has been limited and unevenly enforced, facilitating illegal logging and unsustainable timber trade.
The training included a port visit in Kampala where a timber shipment was physically inspected. Officers demonstrated their new skills in container inspection, wood species identification and evidence collection.
“Watching officers from different countries work together to analyse suspicious timber shipments in real-time showed the true value of this practical training approach. This kind of hands-on experience is invaluable for building the confidence and expertise needed to detect illegal timber shipments,” said Topan Renyaan, Deputy Regional Coordinator of the Passenger and Cargo Control Programme (PCCP) for Southeast Asia and the Pacific at UNODC. With over 113 Port Control Units and 23 Air Cargo Control Units across more than 85 countries, PCCP is well-equipped to enhance supply chain security while facilitating legitimate timber trade, providing an additional layer of protection through improved risk profiling and targeting. Furthermore, the PCCP leads UNODC’s contributions to the Law Enforcement Assistance Programme to Reduce Tropical Deforestation (LEAP), which builds the capacity of customs officers, port officials, and law enforcement agents to detect and intercept illegal timber shipments.
The training placed special emphasis on understanding and implementing CITES regulations in the timber trade sector, with particular focus on endangered tree species native to Africa. Participants learned about listing tree species under CITES, permit verification, legal obligations imposed on traders and regulatory bodies, and identification of non-compliance indicators during physical inspections of timber shipments.
Thanks to the provision of technical assistance, tools and operational support, relevant authorities will be better equipped to conduct thorough risk assessments of timber shipments, identify protected species, verify documentation, secure crime scenes, handle evidence and use timber forensics.
“[The] insightful guidance and practical examples have equipped us with the tools to effectively implement modern customs procedures and risk assessments strategies within our organization,” said Adela Burchard, an officer from the Tanzania Revenue Authority.
As illegal timber trade continues to jeopardize biodiversity and undermine sustainable management of forests, the outcomes of this training underscore the importance of regional cooperation and capacity-building. Sharon Nyambe, Head of the UNODC Office in Uganda, said “The regional training represents an important step in our fight against illegal timber trafficking”. She added “We’re not just building technical capacity, we’re strengthening the networks and relationships needed to combat these transnational crimes through enhanced collaboration and information sharing.”
UNODC has developed a multidirectional, holistic approach to support law enforcement to combat the escalating threat of illegal deforestation and related crimes. The UNODC Passenger and Cargo Control Programme (PCCP) led the implementation of the regional training, with fundings from CITES, in cooperation with the UNODC Global Programme on Crimes that affect the Environment (GPCAE) through the EU-Uganda Forest Partnership initiative.
The training was organized by UNODC on behalf of the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), with generous financial support from the European Union, China and the United Kingdom.
