GABORONE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Botswana will in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) host a joint border dialogue for customs officers from Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe from Jan. 29 to 31, in Kasane, some 1,000 km from Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism on Monday, the dialogue is part of the project on the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer which obligates phasing out the production and consumption of substances that deplete the ozone layer.

"The main goal of the dialogue is to foster discussions amongst neighbouring countries in order to ensure successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol and to foster information exchange across the borders," the press release read.

The 3-day workshop is aimed at building capacity of customs officers from the four countries for the effective control and monitoring of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), in light of the recently adopted Kigali Amendment, which the landlocked Botswana is in the process of ratifying.

Botswana acceded to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1992.

Under the Protocol, Botswana is required to control and monitor the importation, exportation and use of ODS in the country, report on consumption, promote friendlier alternatives as well as raise awareness in the country to ensure compliance to the protocol.

This responsibility led to the country's establishing and gazetting the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations of 2014 on Nov. 28, 2014, under the National Meteorological Services Act 2014. Enditem

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