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- May 2012
- Ban on Importing Somali Charcoal in Compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution
Ban on Importing Somali Charcoal in Compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution
Pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 2036 (UN Resolution 2036), which was adopted on February 22, 2012, the government of Japan decided to take measures to ban the importing of charcoal from Somalia in accordance with the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act.
1. Background to the ban
On February 22, 2012, recognizing that charcoal exports from Somalia form a big income source for al-Shabaab (a militant group posing the threat of terrorism to Somalia and global society) and thus aggravate the critical condition of humanitarian activities, the UN Security Council adopted UN Resolution 2036, under which all UN members are required to take measures to prevent direct or indirect imports of charcoal from Somalia and report the results to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee within 120 days.
2. Outline of the measures
Today, the government of Japan has revised a public notice provision in the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Act (public notice of import) and decided to ban the importing of charcoal made in or loaded at Somalia pursuant to UN Resolution 2036.
Note: Japan did not import any Somali charcoal last year, according to the foreign trade statistics.
3. Effective date
May 28, 2012
Release Date
May 28, 2012
Division in Charge
Trade Control Policy Division, Trade Control Department, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau