The inauguration of the new building in Maastricht was held today. World Customs Organization (WCO) Technology Conference and Exhibition 2022, a meeting that brings together representatives of Customs, international organizations, the private sector and academia to discuss issues related to the various technologies used to manage the flow of goods, people and means of transport across borders.
The event brought together more than 18.10.2022 participants from 1200 countries on Tuesday (136) in the Dutch town in the south of the Netherlands. In addition, some 600 delegates joined the event virtually, which was held under the theme “Boosting Customs performance with data and technology in the changing global trade landscape”.
Organised by the Netherlands Customs Administration, with the support of a number of private sector companies, including the Conference’s corporate sponsor, Smiths Detection, the conference will run over three days, showcasing innovative solutions and equipment.
According to the WCO in a statement, the comments of opening were led by Nanette van Schelven, Director General of Dutch Customs, Aukje de Vries, State Secretary for Profits and Customs at the Dutch Ministry of Finance, and Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the WCO.
The three speakers highlighted the responsibilities of Customs in the changing global trade landscape and the role of data and technology in fulfilling the important tasks of protecting society, collecting revenue and facilitating legitimate trade, including the growth of cross-border e-commerce. In his opening remarks, Mikuriya congratulated the host of the Conference on the occasion of the 425th anniversary of the establishment of the Netherlands Customs Administration.
First day
During the first day of the Conference, interesting speeches and presentations were given. In addition, two panel discussions and two plenary sessions were held, as well as a special session for the launch of the WCO Data Innovation Centre.
La first round table The panel was dedicated to the topic “Scaling up Customs’ digital transformation by embracing a data culture and building a data ecosystem” and addressed the importance of high-quality data for Customs risk management, revenue collection and trade facilitation, and the need to foster a strong data culture within Customs. The Director General of Dutch Customs and the Secretary General of the WCO shared their views during the panel discussion, together with Lilian Nyawanda, Commissioner for Customs and Border Control at the Kenya Revenue Authority and Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis, Director of the Market Access Division at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
La second round table explored the changing landscape of global trade and how customs administrations are responding to it. The customs perspective was presented by Gerassimos Thomas, Director General for Taxation and Customs Union at the European Commission, and Ian Saunders, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Commerce. The panel included two representatives from the private sector: Manon van Beek, representative of the Netherlands on the EU Wise Persons Group and John Bescec, representative of the WCO Private Sector Advisory Group and Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Global Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation.
La third session of the Conference explored the potential of cutting-edge technologies to strengthen border security and improve customs processes, while the fourth session The plenary session discussed how artificial intelligence and machine learning can be used for automated threat detection in the cargo scanning process.
During a special session, the Secretary General of the WCO launched andThe WCO Data Innovation Centre, an element of the WCO Data Strategy endorsed by the Council in June 2022. The objective of the Data Innovation Hub is to develop proofs of concept with Members, the private sector and academia, and its First step is a Hackathon prepared in conjunction with the Dutch Customs as part of the Technology Conference. It is expected that during the second day of the Conference, the teams participating in Hackathon work on two challenges: data interoperability and the combination of public domain information to enrich Customs data.
Second day
El The second day of the Conference will host three plenary sessions which will deepen electronic commerce, the Single Window and various innovative solutions, as well as a series of Master lectures y twelve parallel sessions on various technology-related topics, including data analysis, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud solutions, inspection technologies, among others.
Some of the parallel sessions will explore the standards and tools offered by the WCO in support of Members' digital transformation processes; Members' approaches to research and innovation; the role of data and technology in ensuring the transition of the global economy towards a sustainable future; sustainable and greener supply chains; as well as the opportunities that technology can offer to women in trade.
Third day
Finally, the following will be presented: Hackathon results on the third day of the Conference and will welcome university students, young professionals and start-ups who will share their thoughts, questions and achievements. Questions from students and young professionals will be answered by Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the WCO Council in a interview entitled “What the younger generation wants to know about customs: insights into the world of customs from the President of the WCO Council.” (WCO Press Release)
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