The 19th Session of the Global Meeting of the Regional Entities, established by WCO Members and Council Vice-Chairs’ Offices, took place on February 19-20, 2024, utilizing a hybrid format.
Mr. Norikazu Kuramoto, Director of ROCB Asia Pacific, chaired the 19th Global Assembly, with over 170 delegates in attendance representing Vice-Chair Offices, Regional Offices for Capacity Building, Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices, Regional Training Centers, Regional Dog Training Centers, Regional Customs Laboratories, and host Administrations of regional entities.
The session warmly welcomed the representatives of the new Council Vice-Chairpersons and delegates from recently established regional entities into its global community.
Over the course of two days, interactive discussions covered various topics of common interest, including the revised Work Programme for the Global Meeting (2022-2025), updated “Good Practices Guidance for Vice-Chairs (Offices) across the Six WCO Regions”, and “Good Practices Guidance for ROCBs and RTCs”. Additionally, discussions centred around WCO E-Learning developments, the implementation of the WCO Distance Learning Strategy, the WCO virtual reality training project, the outcomes of the survey on Customs training management to support the development of agile national training strategies, and a refresher on the WCO Expert Management and Accreditation Policy.
As customary, Regional Entities seized the opportunity during the 19th Session to share experiences and good practices. Updates from various WCO Directorates and units were also provided, with a primary focus on areas impacting capacity-building activities and the work of regional entities.
Participants reiterated the significance of the global assembly in empowering regional entities to fulfil their missions and play their essential roles in managing and mobilizing available resources effectively.
The Global Meeting concluded by electing Mr. Souod Salem AlAgroobi, Director of ROCB MENA, as the Chair and Mr. Antonio Lo Parco, Director of ROCB Europe, as the Vice-chair for the 20th Global Meeting.