At the invitation of the Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Mr. Bishar Hussein, the WCO Secretary General, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, spoke at the opening session of the UPU E-Commerce Forum 2014 held at UPU headquarters in Berne, Switzerland on 26 March 2014. He talked about the opportunities afforded to consumers and businesses by booming e-commerce, especially to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as the challenges faced by both Customs and Posts in terms of handling the significant increase in the number of parcels.

Secretary General Mikuriya emphasized the need to ensure connectivity at borders while protecting society from illicit trade that poses a threat to security and to the health and safety of citizens. To achieve this goal, it is essential to set up risk-based border procedures through which quality commercial data on consignments and parcels are received in a timely manner. He stressed the importance of the excellent partnership between the UPU and the WCO, cascading down to national levels and encouraging Customs and Posts to share data for assessing the risks posed by postal parcels, as well as facilitating legitimate trade.

Director General Hussein and Secretary General Mikuriya took this opportunity to discuss matters of common interest and agreed to further enhance cooperation between the two Organizations.