Twenty nine representatives from 26 Customs administrations in the Asia/Pacific Region participated in the WCO Regional Workshop on Risk Assessment and Selectivity with Advance Cargo information from 20 to 23 June 2016.

The Workshop, held at the WCO Regional Training Centre in Kashiwa, Japan, was organized in cooperation with Japan Customs and the Asia/Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB A/P), with the sponsorship of the Japanese Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF).

During the opening remarks, Mr. Hiroshi Kishimoto, Deputy Director General of Japan Customs and Tariff Bureau, and representatives of the WCO and ROCB A/P highlighted the importance of pre-arrival information in risk assessment. They also emphasized the relationship between risk-based cargo selectivity and effective resource allocation and trade facilitation.

Certain elements of risk management at the organizational level were covered throughout the Workshop, although the main focus was risk management at the operational level (risk assessment, profiling and targeting) by utilizing advance cargo information, with several group tasks, practical exercises, case studies and country presentations. Each session was followed by lively discussions, questions and answers.

During the group works and country presentations, participants entered into in-depth discussions on how to identify high-risk cargo by utilizing advance cargo information and the methodology explained in the WCO Customs Risk Management Compendium. Case studies and practical exercises also contributed to deepening an understanding of the topics.