The 2013 WCO IT Conference & Exhibition was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 14 to 16 May 2013 and co-hosted by Dubai Customs. The Conference theme, "Effective Solutions for Coordinated Border Management", attracted over 1,000 participants from 93 countries and 56 Customs administrations, including 14 Directors General of Customs, other governmental agencies and the private sector, who were actively involved in sharing available information technologies, lessons learned from experience, and future visions.
The Conference was opened in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, showing strong support for the innovative approach towards Customs modernization. In his opening speech, His Highness, Lieutenant General, Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of collaboration for effective, coordinated border management applying technology. Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya said that the contribution of Customs to economic competitiveness required better communication, cooperation, coordination and collaboration with other border agencies. In this connection, technology enabled coordinated border management, and the WCO had developed the Data Model with a standardized data set that met the requirements of border regulatory agencies. He also stressed the importance of partnership with the private sector in finding innovative solutions for IT applications, which was the objective of this Conference.
The participants enjoyed a series of panel sessions with high-level speakers from Customs, other governmental agencies, international organizations and the private sector, discussing various aspects of coordinated border management and effective solutions in applying technology. Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, shared his country's vision of trade facilitation through investment in infrastructure and technology, as well as consistent policy development, while honouring international obligations.
A very large number of service providers joined the Exhibition and Tech Talks to explain the latest innovations in information technology, and they listened to the needs of Customs and other border regulatory agencies in their efforts to work together to develop joint IT solutions.
The participants expressed appreciation to Mr. Ahmed Butti Ahmed, the Director General of Dubai Customs, and his team for their excellent organization of the Conference and their warm hospitality.