Astana, Kazakhstan, 29-30 October 2013
On 29 and 30 October 2013, the World Customs Organization (WCO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) held a joint Regional Seminar on the Role of Customs in Natural Disaster Relief in Astana, Kazakhstan.
This was the third in a series of Regional Seminars planned by the three Organizations, as requested in the June 2011 Resolution of the WCO Council on the Role of Customs in Natural Disaster Relief.
The Seminar brought together over 30 participants from 8 WCO Members within the CIS Sub-Region. The participants included representatives from national Customs administrations, national disaster management authorities, National Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Societies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and United Nations (UN) agencies, among others.
This Seminar aimed to increase awareness of the importance of national infrastructure, tools and strategies related to humanitarian assistance and operations among representatives of governmental authorities, especially Customs administrations. It also provided an opportunity for an open dialogue and experience exchange between representatives of Customs and other key partners and stakeholders in the humanitarian assistance field.
Three other Regional Seminars are planned for next year in the African and North of Africa, Near and Middle East (MENA) Regions.