On 19 October 2020, the Secretary General of the WCO Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, in his capacity as the depositary of the Convention, received the original of the Instrument of accession of Maldives to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention) from His Excellency Mr. Hassan Sobir, the Ambassador of Maldives to the Kingdom of Belgium, Head of the Mission of Maldives to the European Union.
During a meeting held in the WCO Headquarters in Brussels to mark the occasion, it was recalled that this international instrument is considered as forming the basis for effective, efficient and modern Customs procedures. Having entered into force on 3 February 2006, the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) is a WCO legal instrument regarded by the entire international Customs Community as a blueprint for modern Customs procedures in 21st Century, which supports countries’ efforts towards the efficient and harmonious implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) that entered into force on 22nd February 2017. With the accession of Maldives, the RKC now has 124 Contracting Parties.
The RKC’s key elements include the application of simplified Customs procedures in a predictable and transparent environment, the optimal use of information technology, the utilization of risk management for efficient Customs control, a strong partnership with the trade and other stakeholders, and a readily accessible system of appeals.
In an international environment marked by a determination to implement the WTO TFA in an expeditious and harmonized manner and the efforts of Customs administrations to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the World, the WCO welcomes the fact that the number of Contracting Parties to the RKC continues to grow, especially as this instrument is at the core of the WCO’s Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP) and contains a dedicated Specific Annex J5 dealing with the role of Customs in emergency situations and natural disaster relief. The WCO Secretary General Mikuriya strongly encourages the rest of the WCO’s Members and non-WCO Members to accede to the RKC as soon as possible, given the convention’s significance for Customs, and above all, to implement its provisions.
The Revised Kyoto Convention will enter into force for Maldives on 19 January 2021.