At the invitation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Customs Organization (WCO) contributed to the Regional Workshop which aimed to enhance and expedite the implementation of the AEO program in Central Asia from 31 October to 2 November 2023, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The workshop gathered 35 AEO experts from ten countries (Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) participating in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programme, along with resource speakers.
Under the ADB's project titled, "Better Customs for Better Client Services in Central Asia," the workshop focused on the fundamental principles of the AEO Programme, raising awareness of essential requirements for establishing uniform strategies and optimizing Customs control while facilitating global trade flows. Participants actively shared their insights and experiences related to Customs modernization, including the development of their respective AEO programmes, Mutual Recognition Arrangements/Agreements (MRAs), and their connection to initiatives such as Paperless trade, Digitization, National Single Window, and Risk Management.
A WCO-accredited expert from Japan provided practical approaches for the cooperation between Customs and partner government agencies, particularly with Aviation security authorities for the alignment of AEO and Regulated Agent/ Known Consigner programmes. In terms of MRA, the expert also outlined the development of MRA plans, negotiation and implementation processes with some key enablers and working examples based on the relevant tools in the WCO SAFE package.
Participants were also briefed of the development of the Online AEO Compendium (OAC), a global repository of AEO programmes and MRAs. They were encouraged to continuously update the OAC website with information on their programme developments to ensure it reflects the latest updates.
The quality of the discussions during the Workshop highlighted the strong level of interest shown by participants in the WCO’s flagship Customs-Business partnership programme to enhance supply chain security and facilitate legitimate trade. The WCO Secretariat expressed its commitment to collaborating with the ADB and supporting Customs administrations in the region and their modernization efforts, including AEO programme implementation.