President Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya of the WCO concluded a Memorandum of Understanding at the headquarters of the IsDB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 5 March 2013 to enhance cooperation between the two organizations. The IsDB has 56 member countries that belong to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which focuses on infrastructure, Islamic finance and human development.

Recalling the ongoing joint work on the cross-border issue between Libya and Tunisia, President Ali wished that the two institutions could extend their scope of cooperation to other countries. Explaining the contribution of Customs to economic competitiveness and regional integration, Secretary General Mikuriya suggested that the two institutions could jointly provide assistance to members with their respective expertise.

Subsequently, the two delegations had a working session to share their priorities and explore potential areas of future cooperation. These include the promotion of the Single Window concept and infrastructure at border crossings.

The WCO delegation took the opportunity to visit the OIC. Secretary General Mikuriya and OIC Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Hameed Opeloyeru, discussed future areas of cooperation between the two organizations, including the promotion of intra-trade among OIC countries.