With the financial support of the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) Korea, the WCO organized a three-day Workshop on Advance Passenger Data, encompassing Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) in Bogota, Colombia. The Workshop was held from 31 January to 2 February 2018 in the Customs Training Centre. The objective of this event was to develop the Administration’s capacity to implement an API and PNR system.
In her opening remarks, Mrs. Claudia Maria Gaviria, Colombia’s Director of Customs, explained that the Administration was implementing modernization and reform programmes that included enhancement of passenger facilitation and control procedures. In this regard, the Administration was currently seeking to utilize Advance Passenger Data. She went on to state that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Customs and Immigration Authorities was presently being developed to enable the sharing of API data.
The WCO then introduced its instruments, tools and standards relating to API and PNR which had been developed and maintained together with its partner international organizations in this area, namely the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), within the framework of the API PNR Contact Committee. The purpose behind the development of standards was to harmonize the implementation of passenger data transmission programmes in a cost-effective manner.
Step-by-step guidance, based on the WCO Guidance on How to Build an API PNR System, was presented to assist the Colombian Administration with the implementation of an API and PNR programme. Several case studies based on lessons learned and the experiences of WCO Members enriched the training and provided participants with practical information.
The WCO Expert invited participants to discuss common terminology related to passenger risk management. The Workshop concluded with a practical exercise session on passenger data analysis and the development of passenger risk profiles.