At the invitation of Ms. Paulina Nazal, Executive Secretary of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Chile 2019, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya spoke at the symposium organized at the Informal Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) held in Santiago, Chile on 13 December 2018.
The President of Chile, Mr. Sebastián Piñera, kicked off the meeting by sharing with the audience a list of priorities for his country, namely the following : Digital Society; Integration 4.0 (connectivity); Women; Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Inclusive Growth; and Sustainable Growth. The ensuing symposium discussed and underlined the importance of Chile’s priorities with a view to achieving APEC's theme of "Connecting People, Building the Future".
Dr. Mikuriya spoke about Integration 4.0 that would be greatly supported by connectivity at borders. He described the WCO's 2019 theme of "SMART Borders for Seamless Trade, Travel and Transport" and how it would contribute to economic integration in the era of digital technology. SOM members expressed an interest in Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes and how they could provide support for integration by SMEs into the global trading system, as well as the effects of technology on trade, including E-Commerce.
Secretary General Mikuriya also took this opportunity to discuss Chilean Customs reforms with the acting Director General of Customs, Mr. Pablo Ibañez, and senior officials from the Ministry of Finance.