The 32nd WCO Asia/Pacific Regional Contact Points Meeting was held from 14 to 18 November 2022, hosted by Australian Border Force, WCO Asia Pacific Vice Chair. The objectives of the meeting were for the delegates from the Asia/Pacific region to discuss issues of common interest and to exchange their views and experiences to further enhance a cooperative and inclusive approach to the priorities of the region. Delegates from 20 Members of the region, representatives from the WCO Secretariat, the Asia/Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB A/P), and the Asia/Pacific Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO A/P) participated in the meeting.
The meeting began with welcome remarks from the Commissioner and Comptroller-General of Customs of Australia, Mr. OUTRAM, as the WCO Vice Chair of the Asia Pacific region. He expressed his gratitude to Customs Administrations in the Asia/Pacific Region for their active participation in this meeting to discuss regional challenges and strategy while sharing their experiences and expanding regional cooperation.
It was followed by the opening remarks from the Regional Development Manager for Asia/Pacific, WCO, Ms. Akiko KOJIMA. She emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and connectivity and the critical role of the Asia/Pacific region as a driving force for world economic growth and Customs innovation. She urged all Members in the region to work collaboratively to take steps forward on regional priorities through the existing strong cooperative relationships. She also informed that the WCO had maintained a strong commitment to regional capacity building support even after the COVID-19 pandemic and will further enhance the utilization of data through the WCO Data Strategy.
In this meeting, WCO Secretariat presented an update on WCO policy and initiatives, highlighting the WCO Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the WCO Data Strategy, Green Customs, Operations STOP and STOP II and the importance of utilizing technology and Geo-intelligence. The Vice Chair’s Office reported on their Regional Strategic Plan (RSP) 2022-2024, an overview of the Regional Private Sector Group for Asia/Pacific, the Asia/Pacific Customs Newsletter, and proposed rebranding the WCO Regional Vice Chair’s Office. RILO A/P delivered a report on updates and a summary of the key activities, the 33rd National Contact Points Meeting, the annual work plan and operational performance. The ROCB A/P, for its part, delivered a report on its annual work plan, cooperation with regional entities, training management support activity, annual needs survey and publication.
The delegates presented their work in the respective focus areas of the RSP and exchanged views on how to link the WCO Implementation Plan 2022-2023 to the RSP 2022-2023. In addition, they discussed regional priorities and strategies, highlighting their own initiatives. They conducted a desktop exercise on Supply Chain Integrity and agreed on the importance of expanding and strengthening cooperation among countries in the region as well as with the ROCB and the RILO, especially at challenging times such as those the world is currently experiencing.
For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.