On 3 March 2022, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), received Mr. Masahiko Metoki, Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Secretary General Mikuriya congratulated Director General Metoki on commencing his service as the 17th Director General of the UPU from January 2022, and shared his expectations for enhanced cooperation between the two organizations.
Director General Metoki highlighted that cooperation and collaboration are key to promoting efficient Customs clearance among Members of both organizations, considering the recent changes related to the Customs clearance of postal items. Those changes include the exponential growth of e-Commerce and the accompanying expansion of the transportation of postal items, as well as the increasing illicit international trade via post. Both leaders underlined the importance of effective management of increasing mail volumes generated by e-commerce, and harmonizing the application of the UPU postal security standards and the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade.
At the end of the meeting, they both agreed to accelerate the process for signing a Cooperation Agreement between the WCO and the UPU to further enhance the partnership between the two Organizations and their Members. They also committed to explore the possibility of holding a joint conference to address the common challenges impacting legitimate international trade via postal chains.
The WCO maintains strong cooperation with the UPU and both organizations pursue common goals to facilitate and secure the movement of postal items.