The Policy Commission of the World Customs Organization (WCO) met from December 3-5, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa, to discuss key issues and outline the future of the Organization. According to the note released by the WCO, the heads of 30 of the 31 customs administrations that make up this body, responsible for presenting policy recommendations and the WCO's strategic plan to the Council, participated in the meeting. These meetings are held twice a year, in December and June, before the annual meeting of the Council, the Supreme Body.
At the opening, the General Secretary Ian Saunders He welcomed delegates, thanking the Government of South Africa and SARS for their hospitality and for organising the event. He stressed that the meeting would provide a valuable opportunity for constructive discussions and underlined the responsibility of the Policy Commission in making crucial decisions that will influence the future of the WCO, particularly in collaboration between Customs administrations to boost trade facilitation, supply chain security, economic prosperity and social protection.
Meanwhile, President of the WCO Council, Edward Kieswetter, He highlighted SARS' active participation in the WCO since 1964 and its commitment as President since 2023, underlining its role in the transformation of customs reforms and as a reference for other administrations.
For its part, Ashor Sarupen, Deputy Minister of Finance of South Africa, expressed satisfaction with the meeting in Cape Town and acknowledged the progress made in the customs community, urging “not to become complacent when defining priorities.”
For three days, delegates discussed Topics issues such as customs performance, money laundering, the Harmonized System and WCO governance. The WCO’s upcoming Strategic Plan, which will guide its priorities for the next three years, was also discussed.
The WCO has announced that a detailed report on the session will be available on its website at the end of December.
It is noted that the region of South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean has 5 members in this auxiliary body to the Council. (WCO News)
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