WCO Sub Regional Passenger Controls Workshop - Jakarta Indonesia

31 octubre 2018

The Directorate General of Customs and Excise of Indonesia (DGCE) and the WCO Asia/Pacific Security Project co-hosted a workshop in Jakarta from 16 to 19 October 2018, funded by the Government of Japan.

WCO Workshop on Risk Assessment and Selectivity in Bahamas

31 octubre 2018

As part of a series of missions under an agreement signed between the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Bahamas Customs and Excise Department (BCED) in March 2018, to provide Bahamas Customs with capacity building support for a comprehensive organizational development and training programme, a WCO Workshop on Risk Assessment and Selectivity took place from 22 to 26 October 2018 in Nassau, Bahamas.

Republic of Kazakhstan State Revenue Committee adopts new roadmap to support WTO TFA implementation

30 octubre 2018

In October 2018, the WCO provided strategic support to the Republic of Kazakhstan State Revenue Committee (SRC).

Jordan Customs builds its Project Management capacity

29 octubre 2018

Upon request of Jordan Customs, a WCO support mission was conducted from 21 to 25 October 2018 in Amman to assist the Administration in building Project Management (PM) capacity taking due account of the WCO PM framework, as well as modern strategic planning methods.

Customs-Tax cooperation highlighted at the Lisbon Tax Summit

26 octubre 2018

At the invitation of the Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations (IOTA), WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya attended the Tax Summit on Digital Economy, jointly organized by the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT) and IOTA and the Portuguese Tax and Customs Administration. The event was held in Lisbon, Portugal, on 25 October 2018 and brought together Tax administrations from around 80 countries.

10th TFA Working Group meeting agrees on its monitoring role for the future

26 octubre 2018

The WCO Trade Facilitation Agreement Working Group (TFAWG) met for the tenth time on 22 and 23 October 2018.

WCO participates in TIACA’s International Air Cargo Forum and Exhibition 2018 in Toronto

25 octubre 2018

Over 3,000 decision-makers, the majority of whom were airline industry representatives, gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto (Canada) on 16 and 17 October 2018 for TIACA’s International Air Cargo Forum and Exhibition 2018.

WCO Strategic Plan 2019/2022: Consultation with the East and Southern Africa Region

25 octubre 2018

The WCO continued its Members’ consultation on the Strategic Plan 2019-2022 with a third regional meeting held in Kampala, Uganda, on 17 and 18 October 2018. This workshop follows on from those already held in the Europe and Americas and Caribbean regions, as part of a consultation process approved by the WCO Council at its June 2018 Session.

WCO supports Burundi’s efforts to enhance its Risk Management

25 octubre 2018

Under the auspices of the WCO/JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Joint Project, a national workshop on Risk Management (RM) was held from 16 to 18 October 2018 in Bujumbura, Burundi.

Council of Europe Pompidou Group - 2018 Meeting of the International Precursors Network

24 octubre 2018

This year’s meeting was held in Strasbourg on 26-28 September 2018 to discuss topics like illegal trade of drug precursors, new psychotropic substances and fentanyl as well as good practices on precursor control with experts from police, customs, border forces, prosecutors, judges, regulatory authorities as well as international organizations, the private industry and the scientific world, in order to exchange experiences on new trends and modus operandi related to reducing the illegal trade of precursors.

High-Level Conference on Respect for Intellectual Property Opens in South Africa

23 octubre 2018

High-Level Conference on Respect for Intellectual Property Opens in South Africa

The WCO leads the discussions on a “Customs of the Future” model as part of the comprehensive review of the Revised Kyoto Convention

23 octubre 2018

At their June 2018 sessions, the WCO Policy Commission and Council approved the setting up of a Working Group on the Comprehensive Review of the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (as amended), recognizing the need to ensure it remained the blueprint for modern and efficient Customs procedures in the 21st Century.

SAFE Working Group kicks off 2021 cycle with a futuristic agenda

22 octubre 2018

The SAFE Working Group (SWG) met for the 20th time from 17 to 19 October 2018 at the WCO headquarters in Brussels. It brought together over 150 delegates from Customs administrations, partner government agencies, the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG), international organizations and academia to discuss and develop collaborative solutions for enhancing supply chain security and efficiency.

PSCG discusses key topics during its meeting at WCO Headquarters

19 octubre 2018

The Private Sector Consultative Group met at WCO Headquarters on 15 and 16 October 2018. MICHELIN, SABIC, BASC, FONTERRA, IATA, IBM, L BRANDS and RENAULT-NISSAN-MITSUBISHI were welcomed as new members of the group.

ROCB West and Central Africa and Côte d’Ivoire Customs make progress towards modern management techniques

18 octubre 2018

Following a request by the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) West and Central Africa and the Customs Administration of Côte d’Ivoire, the WCO has provided support in competency-based human resource management (HRM) and project management.

Successful Conclusion of the 8th Meeting of HR and Training Managers of Customs Administrations in the West and Central Africa Region

18 octubre 2018

Human resource management and training are a major focus of the Regional Strategic Plan of the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) as well as the strategic plans of all Customs administrations of the West and Central Africa (WCA) region.

Latest edition of WCO News now available

17 octubre 2018

The WCO has published the 87th edition of WCO News, the Organization’s flagship magazine aimed at the Customs community, which provides a selection of informative articles that touch the international Customs and trade landscape.

6th WCO Customs Laboratory Programme kick-started

17 octubre 2018

The 6th Customs Laboratory Programme commenced on 15 October 2018 at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, under the sponsorship of Japan (CCF/Japan).

An advanced Customs valuation workshop for Rwanda

17 octubre 2018

Between 8 and 12 October, the WCO conducted an advanced Customs valuation Workshop for the Rwanda Revenue Authority in Kigali, Rwanda.

WCO and OSCE to strengthen co-operation in helping States to address emerging and evolving security threats

16 octubre 2018

The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agreed to deepen their co-operation in addressing emerging and evolving security threats under a Working Arrangement document signed today by the Organizations’ Secretaries General Kunio Mikuriya and Thomas Greminger, respectively.

WCO prioritizes forward capacity building support to Guyana on strategic Trade Facilitation themes

16 octubre 2018

Following the endorsement of the WCO Mercator implementation plan for Guyana, the WCO delivered a technical assistance planning mission on the key trade facilitation measures Time Release Study (TRS), Coordinated Border Management (CBM), Data Harmonization and Single Window development, in Georgetown on the 24 to 28 September 2018.

COPES National Workshop held in Cotonou

16 octubre 2018

As part of the COPES Programme, a training course organized in partnership with the Benin Customs Administration was run between 24 and 28 September 2018 in Cotonou, Benin. It was attended by 24 Customs officials.

WCO supports Bahamas Customs in developing a pool of Origin Trainers

15 octubre 2018

The World Customs Organization (WCO), within the framework of the agreement signed between the WCO and Bahamas Customs and Excise Department (BCED), organized a National Train the Trainer Workshop on Rules of Origin for Bahamas Customs.

WCO Strategic Plan 2019/2022: Consultation with the Americas and Caribbean region

15 octubre 2018

The WCO held a workshop for the Americas and Caribbean region in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 9 and 10 October 2018 to gather Members’ views for the development of the WCO Strategic Plan 2019-2022.

Working Group on E-Commerce makes another stride forward on Cross-Border E-Commerce

15 octubre 2018

Following the adoption of the Framework of Standards on Cross-Border E-Commerce by the June 2018 Policy Commission and Council, the Working Group on E-Commerce (WGEC) held its 4th meeting at the WCO headquarters in Brussels from 8 to 12 October 2018 that brought together over 150 delegates from Customs administrations, other government agencies, the private sector, other international organizations, e-vendors/platforms, express service providers, postal operators, freight forwarders, Customs brokers and academia.

Enhancement of cooperation with Turkmenistan

15 octubre 2018

On 12 October, Secretary General Mikuriya met, at WCO Headquarters, wth a high-level delegation from Turkmenistan, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, His Excellency Mr. Rashid Meredov.

WCO Supports the Bahamas on Customs Valuation

15 octubre 2018

The WCO conducted a workshop on Customs valuation from 1 to 5 October 2018 for Bahamas Customs in Nassau, Bahamas.

The Data Model Projects Team concluded the new version of the WCO Data Model at its October 2018 meeting

15 octubre 2018

The DMPT Meeting, chaired by Mr. Sergio Alencar of Brazilian Customs, took place from 1 to 5 October 2018 at WCO Headquarters. Fifty-four participants, from Member administrations, international organizations and the private sector, attended the Meeting.

WCO host Women in Trade Network Brussels

12 octubre 2018

WCO host Women in Trade Network Brussels

Tongan Revenue and Customs joins the WCO Mercator Programme

12 octubre 2018

WCO’s Capacity Building Programme achieved another milestone after successful engagement with the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) scoping mission to the Kingdom of Tonga as the newest beneficiary of the tailor-made track of the Mercator Programme.

Working towards more Coordinated Border Management in the Bahamas

12 octubre 2018

The World Customs Organization (WCO) organized a national workshop on Coordinated Border Management (CBM) in Nassau from 24 to 28 September 2018, for all authorities concerned.

WCO PICARD research conference successfully concludes in Malatya, Turkey

11 octubre 2018

The 13th annual WCO PICARD Conference, which ran from 9 to 11 October 2018 in Malatya, Turkey, ended on a high note after three days of thought-provoking presentations by invited speakers, followed by dynamic discussions among the participants.

21st RILO Western Europe National Contact Points Meeting (RILO WE NCP Meeting)

10 octubre 2018

The 21st RILO WE NCP Meeting was held in Rome/Italy on 19 and 20 September 2018. The event was co-hosted by the Italian Guardia di Finanza and the Agenzia delle Dogan e dei Monopoli.

Strategic Trade Control Enforcement (STCE) workshop in Chile

10 octubre 2018

Following the conclusion of the operational part of Operation Cosmo 2, STCE trainings return to Latin America in full swing to support the development of STCE capacities of countries in the region.

WCO hands over Raman Spectrometers to National Board of Revenue Bangladesh

08 octubre 2018

The Asia Pacific Security Project of the World Customs Organization (WCO) handed over Raman Spectrometer handheld detection devices to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh in a ceremony held at the NBR Conference Room, Dhaka on 10 September 2018. The donation of the devices was enabled by funding from the Government of Japan.

WTO PUBLIC FORUM 2018: WCO session on latest technologies and Customs

08 octubre 2018

One of WTO’s largest annual outreach events, the Public Forum took place this year from 2 to 4 October 2018 at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, bringing together around 2500 representatives from civil society, academia, business, the media, governments, parliamentarians and inter-governmental organizations.

Signing ceremony for the HS Programme in Africa between the EU and the WCO

05 octubre 2018

On 4 October 2018, the WCO Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya, signed the 5 million euro contract for the “Harmonizing the classification of goods based on WCO standards to enhance Africa trade” Programme with the representative of the European Commission's Directorate-General for International cooperation and Development (EU DEVCO), Mr. Hans Stausboll, Director for EU-Africa Relations, East and Southern Africa. The representative of the Directorate-General for Tax and Customs Union (EU TAXUD), Ms. Sabine Henzler, Director for International and General Affairs, was in attendance at the ceremony.

EAC Customs Administrations successfully undertake AEO peer validation reviews

05 octubre 2018

Under the auspices of the WCO-EAC CREATe Project financed by Sweden, AEO peer validation reviews were carried out from 27 August to 11 September 2018 in Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.

Signature of a WCO-FIATA Cooperation Agreement

05 octubre 2018

Deputy Director – Procedures and Facilitation, Mr. Luc De Blieck, representing the World Customs Organization, attended and addressed the opening ceremony of 2018 FIATA World Congress.

The first WCO accreditation workshop for Mercator Programme Advisors (MPAs) in the MENA region

05 octubre 2018

The first WCO accreditation workshop for Arabic speaking Mercator Programme Advisors (MPAs) was held in Amman, Jordan, from 23 to 27 September 2018.

Global Security Conference: three-year anniversary of the Punta Cana Resolution

04 octubre 2018

The World Customs Organization (WCO) hosted a Global Security Conference from 2 to 4 October 2018 at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The Conference, bringing together over 150 delegates representing more than 75 Member administrations and international organizations, was made possible with the generous support of the Government of Japan.

WCO prepares forward capacity building support to Zambia on key Trade Facilitation topics

04 octubre 2018

Following the Mercator Scoping mission for Zambia delivered in August 2018, the WCO completed a capacity assessment mission on the key WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) Articles Time Release Study (TRS), Coordinated Border Management (CBM), Data Harmonization and Single Window development, in Lusaka on the 17 to 21 of September.

WCO at International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property Crime Conference in Dubai

03 octubre 2018

The World Customs Organization (WCO) participated in the 12th International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property (IP) Crime Conference held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 25 and 26 September 2018.

WCO begins the process of drafting its next Strategic Plan

02 octubre 2018

As approved by the Council session of June 2018, the WCO has adopted a new approach for collecting Members views to be incorporated in the new WCO Strategic Plan 2019-2022. A series of regional workshops will be held from September to November in the six WCO regions to ensure that the next Strategic Plan reflects Members’ priorities and guides the Organization’s work for the coming years. The first workshop, for the WCO Europe region, was held on 27 September 2018 at the WCO Headquarters.

02 octubre 2018

The WCO Harmonized System Committee (HSC) held its 62nd Session from 17 to 28 September 2018 at WCO Headquarters in Brussels. The session was attended by more than 170 participants representing 85 Contracting Parties to the HS Convention, one WCO Member administration and four international and regional organizations.

WCO and UPU Support Latin American Region to Strengthen Customs-Postal Cooperation

01 octubre 2018

The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) with the support of the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB), the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (PUASP) and Uruguay Customs, organized a joint Customs-Post Workshop for the Latin America Sub-Region from 24 to 27 September 2018 in Montevideo, Uruguay.