The 35th Meeting of the Revised Kyoto Convention Management Committee (RKC/MC) convened from 29 to 30 April 2025 in a hybrid format. In attendance were representatives of Contracting Parties, Member administrations, Observers, and partner organizations.
The meeting kicked off with opening remarks by Brendan O’Hearn, Acting Director of the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, who welcomed participants and invited them to actively contribute to the discussions for a successful outcome.
The 35th RKC/MC witnessed the formal depositing ceremony of the original Instrument of Accession by His Excellency Kenneth Racombo, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles to Belgium, to the Secretary General.
The meeting successfully reviewed and consulted on the updated Potential Draft Texts (PDTs) relating to the Rules of Origin (RoO) under Specific Annex K (SA-K) of the RKC and decided to continue work during the intersession to finalize the PDTs, with a view to initiating the RKC amendment process.
The RKC/MC also endorsed the incorporation of two national experiences as appendices to the Guideline on Customs Control, Chapter 6 of the General Annex (GA) and to the Guideline on Free Zones, Chapter 2 of SA-D of the RKC, respectively.
The RKC/MC further discussed and provided guidance on several proposals: Japan’s proposal to incorporate Passenger Name Record (PNR) elements into relevant RKC Guidelines; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s proposal to add a new Recommended Practice under Chapter 1, RoO, SA-K; and Kenya’s proposal aimed at strengthening risk management frameworks for efficient Customs operations within the scope of Customs Control, Chapter 6 of the GA.
The meeting also featured several insightful presentations. In particular, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) presented a new draft international legal instrument on negotiable cargo documents (NCDs).
Welcoming the Republic of Seychelles as the 138th Contracting Party to the RKC, delegates received a presentation on their experiences and challenges during the RKC accession process.
Finally, the RKC/MC was updated on the implementation progress of the RKC/MC Work Programme (WP) 2022-2025, and discussed, provided guidance on, and endorsed the draft WP for the period 2025-2028.
Maria VOURNOU from Greece was re-elected as Chairperson and Hao WU from China was elected as Vice Chairperson.