At the invitation of the United Nations (UN) Land-Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting held on 22 September 2022 during the UN General Assembly in New York, the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, spoke about Customs and the WCO’s contribution to LLDCs. He also participated in bilateral meetings during his visit to UN Headquarters.
In his speech, Dr. Mikuriya emphasized the important role played by Customs in connecting LLDCs at borders and the WCO’s contribution to developing relevant standards and tools related to transit and interoperability and to providing capacity building support. He listed the specific actions that the WCO had taken since the Almaty Programme of Action in 2003 and the ensuing Vienna Programme of Action (2014-2024). The meeting was held in preparation for the next framework of support for LLDCs to which the WCO has committed to further contribute.
Secretary General Mikuriya made the most of his visit to attend a series of talks at UN Headquarters. He had a meeting with the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, to discuss ways to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction under UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540. He also presented the WCO’s agenda regarding ‘Fragile Borders’ and Customs activities in conflict situations. UN High Representative Nakamitsu welcomed Customs’ contribution to implementing UNSCR 1540 and, more broadly, to strengthening border security and supporting the Fragile Borders concept. She also thanked the WCO for organizing the upcoming Global Conference on Fragile Borders in Nigeria.
In addition, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya had a meeting with the Secretary General of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), His Excellency Ambassador Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, to explore future areas of cooperation. The D-8, comprising eight countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Republic of Türkiye), aims at enhancing economic cooperation through various mechanisms, including the establishment of preferential trade agreements, and therefore requires Customs cooperation.