On 10 October 2022, at the invitation of Mr. Anuntasilpa Patchara, Director General of the Thai Customs Department, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), attended the virtual ceremony to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a WCO Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Thailand.

The ceremony took place both online and at the Thai Customs Academy in Bangkok. By way of background, during the Regional Heads of Customs Administrations Conference in the Asia/Pacific Region, held in Bali, Indonesia in May 2022, the Academy was selected as the most suitable body in Thailand for hosting the tenth RTC in the WCO Asia/Pacific (A/P) region, given that it was already being used to hold training activities for Thai Customs officials.

Secretary General Mikuriya expressed his appreciation to Thai Customs for its willingness to share its experience in Customs matters by hosting this new RTC. He also highlighted the importance of the network of WCO RTCs and other regional entities in supporting the WCO’s regional approach towards building Customs’ capacities. He encouraged Thailand to play an active role in this network and thereby further contribute to Customs modernization efforts in the A/P region.

The new RTC will host its first regional workshop on the topic of risk management in November 2022.