The ICC held its 13th World Chambers Congress from 21-23 June 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. As the world’s largest business organization representing more than 45 million companies globally, the flagship event was co-organized with the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services under the theme “ achieving peace and prosperity through multilateralism” with a focus on the role of business and chambers in revitalizing multilateralism for a more sustainable and prosperous future.
The Congress brought together over 1500 participants from over 120 countries across the world. During the 3-day event, over 40 sessions were held on various topical matters shaped around the concepts of multilateralism, innovation and sustainability.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the ATA Carnet operation, a dedicated Carnet session was held within the Congress program on 22 June 2023. The WCO, as a depository of the ATA and Istanbul Conventions on which the ATA Carnet is based, participated at the ATA Carnet session through a panel discussion. During the panel discussion, the WCO highlighted the value of the ATA Carnet in allowing the free movement of goods across frontiers and their temporary admission into a Customs territory with relief from duties and taxes, and also emphasized the high level of cooperation between the Customs community and national guaranteeing associations.
The WCO also spotlighted the importance of Carnet digitalization as a way to enhance efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness of temporary importation operations to the benefit of both Customs and the business community. Embracing the eATA initiative and thanking the ICC for the progress made so far, the WCO remarked that the successful use of the ATA Carnet for 60 years was an important milestone for the WCO, the ICC and the entire Chamber network.
The Congress is held every two years in a different region of the world as an international forum for chamber leaders and professionals to share best-practices, exchange insights, develop networks, address the latest business issues affecting their communities and learn about new areas of innovation from chambers around the world. The next Congress will be held in Melbourne, Australia in 2025.