Global Economic Symposium

 

5-6 October 2011

 

At the invitation of the Kiel Global Instiute, Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya spoke at the Global Economic Symposium held in Kiel, Germany, on 5 and 6 October 2011 to help policy makers better understand the role of Customs and of the WCO.

During the round table session entitled "New Dimensions of Trade Barriers", he explained how Customs facilitates the emerging Internet-based business in respect of consumer trade, while protecting the health and safety of consumers. He informed policy makers about the expanded role of Customs and about the HS, the Data Model and other WCO tools that support advance electronic information for risk management purposes, thus helping to secure and facilitate the global supply chain. He also explained the ways in which the WCO cooperates with other international organizations to respond to increasingly complex global issues.

At the panel session on "Norms for Global Governance", the Secretary General gave his thoughts on how international organizations can help political leaders to put international interests above sometimes narrow national or personal interests. This is particularly relevant at this time of economic difficulties when political leaders have difficulty in convincing their constituencies to adopt necessary but often painful measures. The Secretary General emphasized that international organizations reflect the diversity of their Members and of their stakeholders, provide empirical and research-based information for decision making, and maintain the objective of serving people as they develop and implement measures and activities.