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3.24. In 2016, Namibia introduced environmental levies on a range of products, whether imported or produced domestically. In 2019, additional products were subject to the environmental levies through Government Notice No. 226 (Amendment to Schedule No. 1 of Customs and Excise Act, 1998):
• "Environmental levy on CO2 emissions" - Specific levies apply on new and used motor vehicles at NAD 40-NAD 45 per gramme of CO2 emissions exceeding 120-140 g/km;
• "Specific environmental duties" - Specific levies apply on plastic carrier bags; disposable batteries, car and truck batteries; electric filament lamps; new, used, or re-treaded pneumatic tyres; and second-hand vehicles;
• "Fuel levies" - Specific levies apply to petroleum products, including bio-diesel (Section 4.3.2).

3.25. According to the authorities, the environmental levies were introduced to steer the country towards a green economy and sustainable exploitation of its natural resources in line with Namibia's 5th National Development Plan. Revenue generated through environmental levies are designated for the Environmental Investment Fund to support environmental projects such as tyre recycling and waste management.

3.32. Namibia has non-automatic import licensing procedures in place on the following products, among others: (...)controlled wildlife products under CITES (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT)); controlled petroleum products (Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME)); (...)

3.42. Exports, except to SACU members, of nearly all products are subject to automatic licensing. A non-automatic permit is required for, inter alia, (...); live animals and genetic materials; (...)wildlife products under CITES; (...)

3.50. (...)A public consultation on the new SEZ[special economic zone] policy was circulated by the MIT[the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade] (...) in September 2021. [64] (...)
[64] MIT (2021), National Policy on Sustainable Special Economic Zones, 2021-2026. (...)

3.65. (...) Namibian standards are revised every five years with a view of ensuring relevance and to align them with sector's needs and international needs. These voluntary standards may be referenced in legislation making them mandatory to achieve environmental, SPS, and other legitimate policy objectives.(...)

3.66. (...) Namibia participates in regional standardization activities on metrology, fisheries and aquaculture, automotive, milk and milk products, horticulture, environmental protection, live animals, building and construction materials, organic and inorganic chemicals, and plastics and rubber plastics, among others.

3.70. Since the last Review, Namibia has established a GMO regime, while its SPS regime remains otherwise substantially unchanged. (...).

3.78. The National Council for Research Science and Technology is responsible for implementing the GMO regime established under the Biosafety Act, 2006[86], as supported by the Biosafety Regulations of 2016[87] and the GMO Product List No. 267 of 2022. The regime governs the placing on the market, including labelling, of genetically modified products (food and feed), as well as the use of GMOs for purposes of field trials. Imports of GM food or feed require a permit (valid one year) from the Biosafety Council. The National GMO Testing, Training and Research Laboratory was established to ensure compliance with marketing and traceability standards; the lab is seeking international accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025.[89]
[86] Biosafety Act 7 of 2006. Viewed at: https://www.lac.org.na/laws/annoSTAT/Biosafety%20Act%207%20of%202006.pdf.
[87] Biosafety Regulations, Government Notice 210 of 2016. Viewed at: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/nam174777.pdf.
[89] NCRST, Administration of Biosafety Act. Viewed at: https://ncrst.na/what-we-do/innovation-technology-development/biotechnology/administration-of-biosafety-act-2/.

4.2. Namibia is an arid country with severe droughts. Agricultural production recovered in 2020, due to better rainfall (...) A state of emergency was declared as a result of the 2019 drought. (...)