Convocation speech at the Postgraduate Institute of Management in Sri Lanka
Brussels, 25 July 2011
Report
At the invitation of Prof. Uditha Liyanage, Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Colombo, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya delivered a speech to academics and 468 graduates from different specialized Masters courses at the 2011 PIM Convocation.
During the Convocation he stressed the importance of continuous learning, communication and integrity to potential national and international leaders while emphasizing the need for a broad-minded approach to their studies as crucial to enabling them to transfer their knowledge into other fields of work.
The 2-year MCA course, jointly delivered by the Center for Customs and Excise Studies of the University of Canberra and PIM included for the first time 60 students from the Masters in Customs Administration (MCA): 52 Customs officers from Sri Lanka, 5 Customs officers from the Maldives and 3 students from the private sector. Prior to the Convocation the PIM organized a research seminar to present the six selected Customs-related projects from the MCA graduates in the presence of Director General of Sri Lanka Customs and her management team. Having participated and listened to all the presentations, Secretary General Mikuriya commended their knowledge-based approach to their work and encouraged further research on the topics discussed.
In addition to his speech at the PIM, Secretary General Mikuriya took the opportunity to visit Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Mr. P.B. Jayasundera and Director General of Sri Lanka Customs, Ms. S. Karunaratne to discuss Customs modernization in assisting the reconstruction of the national economy in the post-conflict era. He also visited the new Customs building and held a meeting with business representatives who expressed their willingness to work with Customs to ensure speedy trade clearance, supported by upgraded automation and risk management.
More information
Click here to read the Secretary General’s speech