A WCO Revenue Package national Workshop on the development of an Advance Ruling system for classification and origin, funded by CCF Korea, was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 27 to 31 March 2017.  Twenty-eight Customs officers participated in the Workshop, which was facilitated by two origin and classification experts from the WCO Secretariat.

The Workshop focused, in particular, on advance rulings for classification and origin since they will play a vital role in promoting trade facilitation, as required by the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, which entered into force on 22 February 2017.

During the Workshop, several presentations with respect to advance rulings, as well as tools and instruments developed under the Revenue Package, were delivered.  At the discussion session, two participants gave presentations on the current situation within Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) in the areas of tariff classification and origin infrastructure as well as potential paths forward in relation to advance rulings in those areas.

At the end of the Workshop, the participants presented the results of the practical application of the Diagnostic Tool on Tariff Classification, Valuation and Origin Work and Related Infrastructure, including an action plan with proposals and solutions related to the modernization of classification and origin work and to the implementation of an advance ruling system for classification and origin.  The Deputy Commissioner Trade Facilitation, Ms. Mercy Njuguna, recognized the importance of those proposals and confirmed that the action plan for advance rulings on classification and rules of origin developed by the participants during the WCO Workshop would be discussed with the KRA Commissioner in the coming weeks.