On 6 June, the WCO IT Conference and Exhibition (WCO ITC) 2018 opened its doors to more than 500 delegates from over 75 countries from all around the world in Lima, Peru. This 17th edition of the WCO IT Conference is being co-hosted by the Customs and Tax Administration of Peru (SUNAT), and with support from the Korea Customs Service (KCS) and the private sector.
The WCO ITC will explore the various facets for “Building a Reliable Digital Landscape to Boost Cross-Border Trade”, the theme of this year’s Conference. WCO Members are invited to explore how Customs can contribute to making the business environment more secure using information technology (IT) and, in so doing, boost economic prosperity.
The Conference will discuss opportunities for enhancing human ability to identify high-risk goods and ensure facilitation of legitimate trade. It will further explore some of the powerful tools that can help Customs in that respect, such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain Technology and the Internet of Things.
Cyber-attacks are more frequent nowadays and their impact more extensive, with hackers becoming increasingly skilful at breaking into IT systems. The Conference will discuss potential data security challenges and effective protection against the identified threats.
The 2018 WCO ITC will share lessons learnt from the latest pilot projects and initiatives deploying advanced technologies. It will also discuss numerous topics of interest to the Customs IT Community, including the Single Window and Data Model, cloud computing, IT solutions for Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) mutual recognition arrangements, women in IT, and security contingency plans.