The WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, met with the Chair of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 Committee (UNSCR 1540), H.E. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, in New York, United States, on 6 December 2019.
During their meeting, Dr. Mikuriya reaffirmed the WCO’s commitment to assisting its Members with implementation of the Customs-focused Operative Paragraphs of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1540, the international instrument outlining States’ obligation to enforce controls on weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. Resolution 1540 (2004) calls for proper export and transit controls to prevent the proliferation of such weapons.
Secretary General Mikuriya explained that the WCO’s Strategic Trade Control Enforcement (STCE) Programme has developed its own cadre of accredited trainers, through which the WCO is able to deliver training on Resolution 1540 enforcement, either at the request of its own Members or when requested by an individual State through the United Nations.
The WCO’s STCE training has a practical focus to support Customs with identifying goods subject to sanctions or specific international control regimes. Ambassador Djani was highly appreciative of the WCO’s practical approach to improving border controls in order to detect and prevent weapons proliferation.
The Ambassador highlighted the value placed by the UN on its partnership with relevant international organizations, including the WCO, to raise awareness and mobilize the expertise required for effective implementation, in the field, of UN Security Council trade-focused resolutions. The WCO and UNSCR 1540 agreed to continue working together towards their shared goals.