Third Global Review of Aid for Trade
Geneva, 18 July 2011
Report
At the invitation of WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya spoke about the WCO’s contribution to trade facilitation at the Third Global Review of Aid for Trade held at the WTO in Geneva on 18 July 2011.
The UN Secretary General and Heads of UN agencies, Presidents of Multilateral Development Banks and Heads of Regional Economic Communities gathered in Geneva to review the progress of the Aid for Trade initiative that was launched at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in 2005.
As trade facilitation has been increasingly viewed as one of the concrete deliverables of Aid for Trade, Secretary General Mikuriya briefed delegates on the newly developed and updated WCO tools in this area, including the Risk Management Compendium, the Single Window Compendium and the Time Release Study Guide.
Secretary General Mikuriya also emphasized the importance of management and leadership, and explained the 3P's, namely Political will, People and Partnerships, as successful factors for Customs capacity building, during the panel session: "Delivering on Trade Facilitation Gains".
Whilst in Geneva, the Secretary General took the opportunity to conduct numerous bilateral meetings with Heads of UN agencies, Multilateral Development Banks and Regional Economic Communities. They all showed great interest in Customs’ role in trade facilitation and greater connectivity; both key to economic development and regional integration.
More information
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news11_e/aid_14jul11_e.htm