The WCO Secretariat, which is based in Brussels, Belgium, consists of more than 150 staffers (Organization Chart - for Members only ) from around the world and runs the WCO’s day-to-day operations under the leadership of a Secretary General. Together with the WCO’s Committees, the Secretariat implements the WCO Strategic Plan as approved by the Council.

The Secretariat supplies technical, logistical and professional support to the various working bodies established by the Council, delivers capacity building, technical assistance, and training, and develops and maintains international Customs instruments and tools. The WCO’s official working languages are English and French.

In terms of structure, the WCO Secretariat is made up of two Directorates, namely the Policy and Standards Directorate and the Implementation and Capacity Development Directorate.

These two Directorates are in turn structured into Sub-Directorates.

The Policy and Standards Directorate is divided into two Sub-Directorates, namely the Nomenclature & Revenue Sub-Directorate and the Enforcement, Facilitation & Technology Sub-Directorate.

The Implementation and Capacity Development Directorate is also organized into two Sub-Directorates, namely the Implementation Support Sub-Directorate and the Capacity Delivery Sub-Directorate.