Meeting with Customs and senior political and business stakeholders
Bangladesh, 20-21 July 2010
Report
At the invitation of Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed of the National Board of Revenue in Bangladesh, WCO Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya, visited Dhaka on 20 and 21 July 2010 where he met the management team of Customs as well as senior political and business leaders to discuss Customs modernization and the Customs-business partnership.
Secretary General Mikuriya also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who expressed strong support for Customs reform to facilitate and secure trade. The Minister of Finance, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, participated in the Customs-Business Partnership Conference and urged business support for streamlined border procedures to improve revenue collection and the investment climate. Secretary General Mikuriya spoke about the challenges that Customs administrations face and the WCO Customs in the 21st Century vision; the collective response of the global Customs community. He separately met Minister of Commerce Muhammad Faruk Khan to discuss global trade issues and the role of Customs.
During the Customs-Business Partnership Conference, the Minister of Finance announced that Bangladesh would sign a letter of intent to implement the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards and would work with the WCO on Customs reform. He also announced that his country would start the process of acceding to the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention. Business leaders voiced strong support for Customs modernization based on global standards.