14th Meeting of the Governing Council for the WCO East and
Southern Africa
region
14-15 May 2009, Harare (Zimbabwe)
Report
The Heads of Customs of the WCO East and Southern Africa region met in Harare, Zimbabwe on 14 and 15 May 2009 for the 14th Meeting of the region’s Governing Council which was hosted by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA). Zimbabwe’s Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion and acting Minister of Finance, Mr. Elton Mangoma, opened the proceedings.
WCO Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya, participated in the meeting and briefed delegates on a number of priority Customs issues, in particular the global financial crisis, “Customs in the 21st Century”, the implementation of the SAFE Framework of Standards and the importance of WCO instruments such as the Revised Kyoto Convention. Member administrations were also encouraged to share information on developing trends and patterns and the impact of the global economic crisis.
Regional Members expressed their appreciation for the work undertaken by the WCO Secretariat with regard to “Customs in the 21st Century” and recognized the progress that had been achieved through WCO capacity building initiatives. In this regard they welcomed the approach to coordinate these activities with existing regional customs/economic communities such as the SACU, the SADC, and the EAC. The meeting also adopted the Terms of Reference for a Regional Governance Committee, a Framework for a Sustainable Funding Strategy and a Regional Implementation Plan.
The meeting was attended by 14 regional delegations, including officials from the region’s ROCB, RILO and RTC, and representatives from the EAC and AU Secretariats.
Whilst in Zimbabwe, the WCO Secretary General and Mr. Gershem Pasi, Commissioner General of ZIMRA used the opportunity to sign two MOU’s between the WCO and Zimbabwe relating to the establishment of a WCO Regional Training Centre in Harare, and the installation of the WCO e-learning platform at the Regional Training Centre.