At the invitation of the Director General of Kuwait Customs, Mr. Jamal Al-Jalawi, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Kuwait on 29 March 2018 to observe and support the country's Customs modernization process.

During the meeting with of Kuweit's Minister of Finance, Dr. Nayef al-Hajra, Dr. Mikuriya welcomed Kuwait’s recent move in adopting WCO standards including its accession to the Revised Kyoto Convention and Istanbul Convention last year.  He agreed with the Minister on the importance of improving the business environment in Kuwait and on the continued need for investment in human resources. Secretary General Mikuriya reiterated the WCO’s support through sharing best practices and providing assistance.

Secretary General Mikuriya also had a meeting with Director General Al-Jalawi and his management team on Kuwait's ongoing Customs reform.  He appreciated the progress with Single Window implementation, which would provide enhanced transparency and predictability to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods in collaboration with other government agencies and the private sector. 

Dr. Mikuriya also noted that Kuwait Customs considered the Golden Sector Companies as a trusted trader system and this could be the first step towards the implementation of an Authorized Economic Operator Programme.  The meeting further discussed the introduction of the Cargo Targeting System to protect society from security threats, as well as the realization of the Time Release Study to strengthen coordinated efforts towards trade facilitation, for which the WCO could provide the requisite assistance.

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation to improve Kuwait Customs' risk management capabilities, in view of planned developments in the local maritime and air transport infrastructure.