On 5 September 2019, Brazil deposited its Instrument of Accession to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention - RKC), thus becoming the 120th Contracting Party to the RKC.
Accession to the RKC and implementation of its provisions will assist Brazil as it seeks to further develop its international trade and enhance economic competitiveness.
Having entered into force on 3 February 2006, the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), a WCO legal instrument known as the blueprint for modern and effective Customs procedures in the 21st Century, was also widely used in the negotiations on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA). Accession to the RKC and, above all, its implementation, complements countries’ efforts towards ratification and implementation of the WTO TFA.
The Convention’s key elements include the application of simplified Customs procedures in a predictable and transparent environment, optimal use of information technology, utilization of risk management for efficient Customs control, a strong partnership with trade and other stakeholders, and a readily accessible system of appeals.
In an international environment marked by a determination to implement the WTO TFA in an expeditious and harmonized manner, the WCO welcomes the fact that the number of Contracting Parties to the RKC continues to grow, especially as this instrument is at the core of the WCO’s Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP). WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya strongly encourages WCO Members and other United Nations Members not yet having done so to accede to the RKC (and, in particular, implement its provisions) as soon as possible, given this instrument’s significance for Customs and the international trade community.