Brussels, 18 November 2014
His Excellency the Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon in Brussels, Mr. Daniel Evina Abe’e, deposited his country’s instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention - RKC) on 18 November 2014, making Cameroon the 97th Contracting Party to this Convention.
The RKC is the international standard for making Customs regulatory procedures as efficient and effective as possible. The Convention elaborates upon several important principles, including transparency and predictability of Customs actions; standardization and simplification of the goods declaration and supporting documents; simplified procedures for authorized persons; maximum use of information technology; minimum necessary Customs control to ensure compliance with regulations; use of risk management and audit based controls; and coordinated interventions with other border agencies.
The WCO Secretary General welcomed the accession of Cameroon, currently the WCO Vice-Chair for West and Central Africa, since this demonstrates the country’s commitment to implementing Customs procedures adapted to the international trade environment and efforts towards trade facilitation, particularly in the context of Africa where the African Union is moving towards a continent-wide free trade area aimed at boosting intra-African trade.
The RKC will enter into force for Cameroon on 18 February 2015.
The Secretary General, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, strongly urges the other WCO Members to accede to the RKC as soon as possible.