The Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Kunio Mikuriya, opened this Wednesday (10.11.2021), with more than 1400 registered participants, the second online technology conference entitled “Technology in support of Customs in the supply chain: a focus on relevant international standards".
The WCO Open Meeting thus brought together representatives of member administrations, international organisations, private sector associations and academia to virtually discuss issues related to the importance of international standards for automation and interoperability between relevant systems that contribute to the efficiency of border procedures.
In his opening remarks, the Secretary General Mikuriya He noted that “standards are relevant when we talk about the simplification and harmonization of customs procedures.” He added that “One of the most important standards is the WCO Data Model in the context of border management".
In this regard, the Secretary-General said that “customs administrations are located at borders and work with many interlocutors who follow standards in their different areas.” In this regard, he said that discussing complementarities and opportunities to improve the application and use of these standards is essential for customs to better manage risks and ensure legitimate trade in the global supply chain, while protecting society from illegal trade.
Mikuriya said in this regard that “it is essential to support a robust supply chain to improve the level and consistency of data implementation by relevant actors, including customs. This applies to all types of transport, including e-commerce and single window environments.”
In this context, he clarified that "whatever technology is used (traditional or emerging technologies such as blockchain), the Standards are the key building block".
At the meeting a high level round tableModerated by Brendan O'Hearn, Deputy Director for Procedures and Facilitation at the World Customs Organization, and comprised of Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization; Nanette Van Schelven, Director-General of the Netherlands Customs Administration; Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization; Marco Rossi, Director of Standardization and Technical Policy at the International Organization for Standardization; Miguel A. Lopera, President and CEO of GS1 Global Office; and John Denton, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce.
Likewise, there were carried out five panels: “Expanding blockchain technology with standards”; “Optimizing the maritime environment”, “Facilitating and controlling the movement of goods across borders with the exchange of electronic transport documents, certificates and X-ray images”, “Improving interoperability with data standardization and harmonization” and “Standardizing data exchange in the end-to-end supply chain”.
The webinar TECH CON 2021 takes place on November 11 and 12 to discuss the various relevant standards that are critical to achieving better interoperability between stakeholders in global supply chains, especially within border management procedures.
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