Under the sponsorship of the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) of Japan, a WCO National Workshop on Revenue Package on Development of Advance Ruling System for Classification and the HS 2017 was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG), from 9 to 13 July 2018.  Twenty-five Customs Officials worked intensively during the workshop facilitated by a WCO Technical Officer and a WCO accredited expert in HS matters from the Australian Border Force.

At the opening of the Workshop, Mr. Ray Paul OBE, Chief Commissioner of PNG Customs Service, extended his gratitude to the WCO, Australian Border Force and CCF Japan for their continuous support in enabling capacity building.  He emphasized on the importance of the correct and uniform application of the Harmonized System and the value of training customs officers. He noted the importance of fair, efficient and effective revenue collection and trade facilitation and encouraged participants to take advantage of this high level Workshop.

During the Workshop, a wide range of HS-related matters were addressed, including the Harmonized System and its tools, the fundamental principles of the General Rules and classification case studies. The workshop also focused on improving the current infrastructure and the advance ruling system for classification in PNG, as set out in the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. To that end, the tools and instruments developed by the WCO under the Revenue Package for advance rulings were delivered to the participants.

A holistic examination of the national classification structure in place was conducted and at the end of the workshop the participants presented the results of the practical application of the Diagnostic Tool on Tariff Classification Work and Related Infrastructure to their management. This included an Action Plan with proposals and solutions related to the modernization of classification work and to the improvement of the current advance ruling system for classification.

In the closing remarks of the Commissioner of Trade and Corporate Service, Mr. James Kombuk Bire, thanked the WCO, the Australian Border Force and the CCF Japan for supporting the Workshop and confirmed that the diagnostic and the action plan presented by the participants would be considered during the revision of the classification infrastructure and the modernization of the advance ruling system.