8th Worldwide Security Conference tackles economic security in support of the G8 and G20
Brussels, 3 October 2011
Report
The EastWest Institute, in cooperation with the WCO, opened the 8th Worldwide Security Conference that will run from 3-5 October 2011 at WCO headquarters, inviting policymakers, business leaders and civil society to dialogue and find solutions to global problems.
In his opening speech John Edwin Mroz, President of the EastWest Institute, recalled that this conference had come a long way from its immediate reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to now tackle diverse issues including cybercrime and economic security.
After welcoming delegates in his opening remarks, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya discussed the four areas of major WCO activities since the previous conference held last year. These included work on air cargo security in a strengthened partnership with the air transport sector following the air courier incident in Yemen, the launch of Programme “Global Shield” to tackle illicit trade in explosive precursors in close cooperation with law enforcement agencies, heightened security for information communication networks particularly in the cloud computing era, and contributions to economic security through trade facilitation and revenue tools.
The session then focused on the G20 and economic security, highlighted by a representative of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs who presented the G8 and G20 agendas.He emphasized the need to work with international organizations on common challenges and to maintain dialogue with all stakeholders while using the G8 and the G20 in a complementary manner.During the ensuing discussions, participants saw a clear linkage between the WCO agenda and the work of the G8/G20.