A WCO Sub-regional Workshop on Transit for the Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was held in Melaka, Malaysia, from 17 to 21 February 2020. The event was organized with the financial support of the Indian Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF India) and was hosted by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
The Workshop aimed to provide support to ASEAN Members in addressing any challenges they may face in the process of implementing the relevant international legal instruments in the area of transit, such as Article 11 of the WTO TFA and the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit.
During the Workshop, transit experts from six of the ASEAN Members discussed the relevant provisions of the Revised Kyoto Convention, the guiding principles for the establishment of efficient and effective transit regimes as outlined in the WCO Transit Guidelines and the provisions of Article 11 Freedom of Transit of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation of the World Trade Organization (WTO TFA). Representatives of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam delivered presentations on the legislative framework for transit and transit procedure automation in their respective countries. They also shared information on challenges faced in the efforts towards trade and transit facilitation. The WCO team of facilitators presented and discussed with the participants some best practices in the area of transit from other WCO regions. Special focus was placed during the Workshop on the deployment of the ASEAN Common Transit System (ACTS).