Highlights of the 2024 WCO Technology Conference

20 November 2024

Thursday 14 November 2024 marked the end of the three-day WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under the theme “Digital Frontiers: Customs Embracing Innovation with Traditional and New Partners”.

In their closing remarks, Cláudia Thomaz, Undersecretary for Customs Administration, Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil, and Ian Saunders, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), thanked all those involved in the Conference and outlined some of the key takeaways from this event.

During the Conference sessions there was acknowledgement of the need for reshaped and reimagined Customs processes, the potential of emerging technologies and data analytics to revolutionize the work of Customs, and the progress already made in this regard.

The deliberations confirmed the value and absolute need for multi-stakeholder engagement, as big and increasingly complex problems can best be solved through collective wisdom, resources and action.

The discussions highlighted the importance of iterative project development, namely establishing clear goals, defining a path for achieving them and pinpointing the technologies that can be meaningfully employed, using pilots to test projects on a reasonable scale, drawing on the lessons learned, and then expanding the use of the new approach to meet more fully the needs identified.

The criticality of data-driven solutions to support Customs decision-making was also confirmed during many of the Conference sessions.

Finally, the Conference underscored the importance of the human element. Technological solutions have to be rolled out as part of a more comprehensive and balanced approach that ignites the imagination and takes account of other issues, such as trust. The goal of trusted value chains is as much about technological enablers as it is about confidence in the data that feeds into them, the parties involved, and the willingness of the relevant authorities to work together.

The Conference's closing session featured an announcement that the next edition of the WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition is scheduled for February 2026, with the host country still to be determined. In concluding, the WCO Secretary General expressed hope that many of the participants from Rio de Janeiro would take part in the next edition, thereby continuing the dialogue and fostering strong partnerships to deliver effective solutions addressing the dynamic challenges posed by the international trade landscape.