On 8 and 9 December 2022, the World Customs Organization (WCO) held the 17th annual PICARD Conference, an international platform to foster dialogue among Customs, the academic community and the private sector. The event attracted over 500 registered participants from more than 100 countries.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the WCO, reemphasized the importance of continued dialogue and partnership between Customs administrations and academia. He stressed that Customs administrations needed to keep an eye on emerging technologies and recent trends such as data analytics and disruptive technologies, Green Customs, and gender and equality, while paying attention to traditional Customs missions such as border security, fair taxation and trade facilitation. Dr. Mikuriya also took this opportunity to announce the WCO’s theme for 2023: “Nurturing the next generation by promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs”.
Following the opening remarks, Major General (ret.) Pascal Legai, Senior Security Coordinator to the Director General of the European Space Agency, made a keynote address on satellite image data and geospatial intelligence as applied to border management. He shared the latest developments in satellite image data technologies and their possible applications for Customs.
The Conference, which featured distinguished speakers and moderators from both Customs and academia, comprised 10 sessions.
During four sessions on data and new technologies, Customs administrations shared their experience on topics including risk analysis, fraud detection, trade facilitation and data exchange, while the academic community presented emerging technologies and recent developments such as the application of AI and analytics for intelligence.
In this regard, the first hands-on workshop on data science for Customs was successfully completed on 7 December 2022. Over 300 registered participants learned practical skills and acquired knowledge of data analytics, including datasets and software. The workshop was conducted under the direction of Assistant Professor Dr. Sundong Kim, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and M. Chaeyoon Jeong, Institute for Basic Science, Korea.
Two sessions were dedicated to fair taxation. Against the background of economic slowdown, the concept of fair taxation is attracting a great deal of attention. The latest research was shared, together with case studies and information on the fight against commercial fraud by Customs administrations.
The Conference also addressed other important topics such as border security, trade facilitation, Green Customs and gender and equality.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Ricardo Treviño Chapa, Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, summarized the main outcomes of the Conference and thanked all those who had contributed to the success of PICARD 2022.
The Conference was supported by the Korea Customs Service. A recording of the proceedings will be made available on the WCO’s YouTube channel and details of the next Conference will be announced at a later date.