The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) held its Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation, chaired by Mr. Norman Schenk, Vice President, United Parcel Service (UPS), at WCO Headquarters on 16-17 October 2014. The participants had interactions with WCO officers on a number of areas, including trade facilitation, Customs-Business partnerships, valuation, Harmonized System and rules of origin.
Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya welcomed and congratulated them for their continued engagement with the WCO as a long-standing partner, especially in the new environment of the adoption of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and also heightened regional integration.
Subsequently, he discussed with representatives of national chambers of commerce around the world and other ICC members a number of topics of common interest. These include the procedural diversity of verification of origin, efficient transit for land-locked countries and Single Window. Many voices were raised on the treatment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Secretary General Mikuriya explained the WCO approach and suggested that the two organizations work together to identify best practices for engaging SMEs and providing support for them.
The ICC and the WCO agreed to continue this positive engagement.