At the invitation of the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Mr. John Danilovich, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya participated at the Customs and Trade Facilitation Symposium, an event organized by the ICC and the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which took place in Miami, Florida, from 22 to 24 February.  Mr. Mikuriya delivered a keynote speech on the latest WCO activities including assisting its Members and a wider stakeholder community to implement the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation in collaboration with the ICC and other business partners.

During the event, the Secretary General also spoke at a panel discussion entitled ‘Balancing Security and Trade Facilitation,’ which included Mr. Norman Schenk, Chair of the ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission, Mr. R. Gil Kerlikowske, Commissioner of  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Mr. Luis Gutierrez, General Administrator for Foreign Trade Audit of the Mexican Tax Administration, Mr. Antoni Estevadeordal, Manager of Integration and Trade Sector, Inter-American Development Bank and Mr. Eugene Laney Jr., Head of International Trade Affairs, DHL Express USA.

Secretary General Mikuriya spoke about how the positive relationship between the WCO and ICC has yielded benefits for both its Member constituents. The contribution of the ICC to key WCO instruments and tools was notable and greatly appreciated.  Mr. Mikuriya expressed his willingness to continue to cultivate the partnership and enhance collaboration.

The panelists focused on a range of mechanisms, such as Authorized Economic Operator (AEO programmes), to forge links and nurture ties between the international business community and Customs administrations.

During the symposium, the ICC issued a policy statement on de minimis which is available here.

The Secretary General’s keynote speech can be accessed here.