At the request of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SCC), the WCO conducted a mission with the aim of strengthening the Customs’ institutional capacity for Classification, Origin and Valuation work, in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 21 and 24 May 2019. Fourteen Customs officers participated in a WCO Revenue Package National Workshop focusing on the development of Advance Ruling system for Classification, Origin and Valuation, which was facilitated by one external classification expert and an origin expert from the WCO Secretariat.

At the introductory meeting, the Deputy Chairman of the SCC, Mr. Gasimov Cavad, noted the importance of the establishment of advance ruling system and expected that the workshop would help with improving customs control for classification, origin and valuation in the SCC.

The Chief of the Academy of the SCC, Mr. Gule Novruzov, opened the workshop and indicated the necessity of this training toward the modernization of Customs work and trade facilitation, and showed his support for the WCO programme.

The workshop focused, in particular, on advance rulings for classification, origin and valuation since they play a vital role in promoting trade facilitation and Customs control through risk management. Though Azerbaijan is not a member of the WTO, it is in the process of preparing for the full implementation of an advance ruling system. During the workshop, several presentations with respect to advance rulings, including tools and instruments developed under the Revenue Package and national good practice, were delivered.   Based on a holistic examination of the national Classification, Origin and Valuation controls, the participants presented the results of the practical application of the Diagnostic Tool, including their recommendations on implementation of an advance ruling system for classification, origin and valuation within the SCC.