At the invitation of Indonesia Customs, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Jakarta, Indonesia on 25 and 26 July 2019.

Dr. Mikuriya had a meeting with Mr. Heru Pambudi, Director General of Customs, and his management team to review the Customs modernization process in Indonesia, and its willingness to share its experience through capacity building assistance for the region.  He also visited the Customs Training Centre and Customs Laboratory to discuss their future plans for making a contribution to the region. 

Secretary General Mikuriya then met private sector representatives at the Customs Laboratory and they expressed their appreciation for Customs reform which they acknowledge will lead to greater transparency and integrity.   Business representatives also sought the WCO’s guidance on e-commerce, including data standardization, and on the ASEAN Single Window concept, particularly on the electronic exchange of origin certificates.

During his meeting with the Vice-President of Indonesia, H.E. Jusuf Kalla, Dr. Mikuriya stressed the progress made in Customs human resource management, including the importance of integrity, and its growing contribution to the regional and global Customs community.   They were joined by Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Industry Mr. Airlangga Hartarto, and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mr. Rudiantara to discuss e-commerce, disruptive technologies and illicit trade as well as WCO initiatives, including the Technology Conference to be held next year in Bali.

Dr. Mikuriya took the opportunity to pay a visit to H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoy, Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta.   They reflected on progress with the ASEAN Single Window platform and on new challenges brought about by e-commerce, with WCO support being sought in both areas.  They also discussed assistance for Timor-Leste in view of its future accession to ASEAN.