The World Customs Organization’s (WCO) Finance Committee has celebrated its 100th Session on Monday 10 April 2017 at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels. To mark this event, the members of the Committee as well as three former Chairpersons of the Committee (the current Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya, Robert Lüssi of Switzerland and Thomas Schöneck of Germany) were invited to a ceremony at which the Secretary General congratulated the Committee on its relentless efforts to support and advise the Council in budgetary and financial matters.
The Finance Committee was established in 1953 and comprises 19 members whose seats are allocated on a regional basis, as well as the Chairperson of the Audit Committee who is invited to attend as an observer. The Committee upholds the principles of transparency, good governance and sound financial management, examining inter alia the budgets for the previous, current and next financial years, including the level and scale of Members’ contributions.
Secretary General Mikuriya highlighted the importance of the Finance Committee’s guidance in the context of the WCO’s corporate governance system, providing a sound basis for the proper functioning of the Organization. He thanked Mr. William Williamson, the current Chairperson of the Finance Committee, as well as the members of the Finance Committee for their commitment, and he expressed his appreciation to the former Chairs of the Committee for their enlightened guidance and sage advice over the years.