With significant participation from customs in the Americas and the Caribbean Region, the 26.06.2021 Customs and Customs Meeting was successfully concluded this Saturday (XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX). 138th session of the Council, the supreme organ decision-making body of the World Customs Organization (WCO).
After three days of online meetings, delegates focused their dialogue on the post-pandemic world with optimism stemming from the global effort on vaccinations and the determination to improve global trade, the WCO said.
In this regard, the statement detailed that the Session chaired by Al Khalifa, Chairman of Bahrain Customs Affairs (Persian Gulf country), focused on capacity building, rules of origin, valuation, nomenclature and classification, compliance and trade facilitation, as well as budgetary and financial issues.
At the end of the meeting, Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the WCO, stated: “The discussions at this year’s Council session demonstrated that the Customs family remains united and supports the WCO Secretariat in its effort to better serve its Members and assist them in the ongoing recovery process and plan for the renewal of Customs procedures in a post-pandemic world.”
The advice approved the report on progress in the implementation of the WCO Strategic Plan 2020-2021 and the reports of the Capacity Building Directorate of the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate and the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate.
Members also discussed issues of operational and strategic relevance such as updates on the implementation of the COVID-19 Action Plan and adopted the WCO Guidelines on Disaster Management and Supply Chain Continuity. The Environmental Analysis 2021 and 2021 edition of the SAFE Regulatory Framework (SAFE FoS) to secure and facilitate international trade.
The budget recommendation of the Finance Committee for the General Secretariat and the representation from various regions such as the Americas and the Caribbean in the Finance committee (Antigua and Barbados, Honduras and Canada) And the Audit Committee (Mexico and Peru).
The highest authority of the WCO recognized the Customs Administration of Peru as the winner of the 2021 Photography Contest, with her presentation entitled “Sharp Eyes” where a female customs officer controls smuggling high in the Andes.
Bahrain Customs representative Ahmed Al Khalifa will again serve as the Chairman of the Council for the period from July 2021 to June 2022.
La next session of the WCO Council will be in June 2022 in Brussels, Belgium. (WCO Press Release)
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