KATHMANDU, JUNE 28 Nepal and France have stepped up regional cooperation to combat illegal waste trafficking by bringing together customs, security and environmental authorities from South and Southeast Asia to strengthen cross-border enforcement against environmental crime. The two-day regional seminar, held in Kathmandu on June 24-25, was jointly organised by the Embassy of France in Nepal and the French Homeland Security Service. It follows a similar regional conference on wildlife crime hosted in Nepal in 2024. The event brought together officials from Nepal's Department of Customs, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Ministry of Forests and Environment, Ministry of Home Affairs, representatives from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam, as well as experts from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the private sector. The seminar focused on sharing practical experiences, investigative techniques and best practices to strengthen inter-agency and cross-border cooperation against the growing threat of waste trafficking. Opening the event, Elsa Calley, Chargée d'Affaires a.i. at the French Embassy in Nepal, said the initiative reflects the shared commitment of Nepal and France to tackling environmental crime through stronger cooperation among law enforcement agencies. Christel Fontaine, Deputy Homeland Security Attaché at the French Embassy in India, described environmental crime as the world's fourth most profitable criminal activity, generating an estimated US$70-213 billion annually, and stressed the need for coordinated international action. Colonel Sébastien Nochez of the French National Gendarmerie's Law Enforcement Directorate for Environment and Public Health (CESAN) outlined France's integrated approach to combating environmental crime, from prevention to criminal investigation. He also highlighted the achievements of the European UNITE programme, implemented in 2023-24 to combat waste trafficking across Europe, Asia and Africa, while calling for stronger international collaboration. Muendao Suandee of the UNODC presented the regional WasteNet project and underscored the need for closer cooperation among enforcement agencies and faster legal assistance between countries to trace illegal waste shipments and dismantle the financial networks behind them. INTERPOL's Operations Coordinator Michele Viale said illicit waste trafficking enriches organised criminal groups at the expense of environmental and public health, requiring a coordinated global response. Guillaume Dourdin, Chief Executive Officer of Veolia India, highlighted the role of recycling and the circular economy in addressing waste management challenges and reducing environmental impacts. Delegates also shared country experiences, with Sri Lankan customs officials describing mounting pressure on ports due to illegal waste shipments, while Bangladesh Coast Guard representatives outlined the country's challenges as a major maritime trading nation and one of the world's largest ship recycling hubs. The seminar concluded with a visit to Kathmandu-based social enterprise Moware Lab, which transforms plastic and glass waste collected from Sagarmatha National Park into artworks and household products. The event was organised under the Nepal-France Green Roadmap, a bilateral environmental cooperation framework adopted in 2023, with financial support from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs' Security and Defence Cooperation Directorate and the International Security Cooperation Directorate.