Building supply chain resilience and enhancing collaboration was the focus of the ABF/WCO Supply Chain Integrity (SCI) Project’s Regional Seminar hosted in Manama, Bahrain during November 2024. With the generous support of Bahrain Customs Affairs and the Australian Border Force (ABF), the WCO delivered a dedicated seminar for the MENA region, the second in a series of global seminars developed under the SCI Project.

 Following the successes of the SCI Project’s inaugural Regional Seminar hosted in the Asia/Pacific, the MENA seminar sought to enhance regional engagement, promote best practice approaches and forge closer and more deliberate collaboration with key industry partners across the MENA region.

During the weeklong seminar, over 30 regional participants, along with presenters from RILO Middle East, the ABF, New Zealand Customs Service, DHL Express and the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) convened to enhance dialogue on the contemporary threats and vulnerabilities impacting on the integrity and security of international air and sea cargo supply chains.

Embracing the WCO’s theme for 2024 – engaging traditional and new partners with purpose – representatives from DHL Express and MSC engaged in multilateral discussions, offering insights into the issues and challenges impacting on their regional business operations. Both speakers reiterated their commitment to working with governments in the pursuit of common objectives, namely preserving the integrity of global cargo supply chains, and welcomed the opportunity to forge closer and more deliberate relationships with the international Customs community.   

Seminar participants were exposed to new and emerging areas of supply chain risk and introduced to guidance material developed under the SAFE Framework in relation to self-assessing threats, risks and vulnerabilities across cargo supply chains. Participants also enjoyed a working visit to DHL Express Bahrain Hub and a visit to Jewelry Arabia 2024 to observe the ‘Exhibitions 2’ application, developed by Bahrain Customs Affairs to streamline and automate an exhibitor’s interactions with Customs.    

On behalf of the WCO, the SCI Project wishes to express sincere thanks to Bahrain Customs Affairs for their warm hospitality and generosity.

For more information about the SCI Project, please visit the WCO website World Customs Organization (wcoomd.org) or contact the SCI Project Team at project.sci@wcoomd.org