as it’s newest member of the World Customs Organization (WCO)
The 25th WCO Asia / Pacific Regional Heads of Customs Administration Conference was held from14th-19th April 2024, in Sydney, Australia. Representing the Republic Palau as it’s newest member was John Tarkong Jr., Director, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. The objectives of the meeting were for the delegates from the Asia/Pacific region to discuss issues of common interest and to exchange their views and experiences to further enhance a cooperative and inclusive approach to the priorities of the region. Delegates from 23 Members of the region, representatives from the WCO Secretariat, the Asia/Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB A/P), and the Asia/Pacific Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO A/P) participated in the meeting.
Palau was welcomed and recognized as its 186th member, signaling a new era of international cooperation. The WCO, with its mission to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Customs administrations worldwide, welcomes Palau’s membership as a testament to the Organization’s growing influence and reach. It is a step towards fostering better cooperation in the region, enhancing economic security, and promoting sustainable development through improved Customs practices.
The meeting began with welcome remarks from the Commissioner and Comptroller-General of Customs of Australia, Mr. Michael Outram, as the WCO Vice Chair of the Asia Pacific region. He expressed his gratitude to Customs Administrations in the Asia/Pacific Region for their active participation in this meeting to discuss regional challenges, priorities and strategy while sharing their experiences and expanding regional cooperation.
In his opening remarks and report, the new Secretary General, Mr. Ian Saunders, provided an update on WCO policy and initiatives. The Asia/Pacific Regional Office of Capacity Building (ROCB A/P) provided a report on activities for 2023/2024, ongoing training management projects, annual work plan and updates on the regional training center, regional customs laboratory, and the regional dog training center. The ROCB A/P continues to cooperate with its partners and plays a leading role in capacity building. It provides the support to deliver workshops and they serve as a communication hub and platform for the WCO members. Mr. Jun Tajima received confirmation as the next ROCB A/P Head as he replaces Mr. Norikazu Kuramoto. Mr.Kuramoto was recognized for his hard work and dedication over the years. The Asia / Pacific 2024-2026 Regional Strategic Plan and terms of reference was reviewed for endorsement and approved. Members endorsed the Terms of Reference for the development of Asia/Pacific Regional Strategic Plans as a living document. Mr. Outram explained that the WCO Asia /Pacific Communique for Gender Equality and Diversity recognized the role of Customs in creating a safe and accessible trading environment for all stakeholders at the border. It is important for Customs administrations to reflect on the society which they serve, and to uphold strong values of good governance, transparency, representation and inclusion of all stakeholders and not tolerate discrimination of any kind.
The Asia /Pacific Regional Intelligence office (RILO A/P) provided their report. The head of RILO A/P, Mr. Toshikiko Osawa provided an update. With Palau as its newest members, we now have 35 members from the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Osawa explained their structure, staff, operations and activities taken over the past year. He talked about risk analysis and the available data used for analysis on criminal networks that involve both seizure and smuggling cases.
Members took note of the respective progress reports from the three Focus Area (FA) Coordinators of the Asia/Pacific Regional Strategic Plan for 2022-2024, including on FA1 – Trade Facilitation and Security, FA2 – Compliance and Enforcement, and FA3 – Capacity Building.
Mr. Outram provided an update on the Regional Joint Action Plan from some of the beneficiary countries of the Asia/Pacific Plastic Waste Project.
Members endorsed Cambodia’s proposal to accredit their National Customs School as a WCO Regional Training Centre. Members Supported India’s proposal to attach a third Customs Training Centre to their already existing Regional Training Centre. Members supported and endorsed the draft WCO Resolution on Strengthening Customs-Industry Resilience as a Region ahead of progression to the WCO Permanent Technical Committee in Brussels for consideration next week. The Secretary General provided an update on WCO modernization, including organizational arrangements, the appointment of Directors and the WCO Modernization Plan, and discussed Regional perspectives and views on the work undertaken to date.
Australia provided update on the WCO Canine Expert Working Group and observed a detector dog demonstration. Members took note the campaign nominations of Asia/Pacific Members for Regional representative positions for the 2024-2026 cycle, and confirmed the following Members by acclamation on a number of commissions.
Members noted a report on the outcomes of the first Bi-Regional Workshop on Gender Equality and Diversity, hosted and delivered by the APVC and the Vice-Chair for the Americas and Caribbean (AMS) Region, and noted remarks from the APVC and AMS Vice-Chair;
Four Member presentations focused on the 2024 WCO theme of “Customs Engaging New and Traditional Partners with Purpose”, including from:
o China (People’s Republic of) – Discussed the challenges of increased international trade and how to achieve effective and efficient controls while improving the efficiency and quality of customs clearance. China is the worlds largest volume of import and export goods. They have 80 million of import and export declarations per year, high inspection volumes, large number of containers and vehicles involved;
o Korea (the Republic of);
o Malaysia; and
o Vietnam.
- Members noted an update on two WCO Projects, supported by Asia/Pacific Members as respective delivery partners, including:
o the WCO Smart Customs Project, presented by the WCO Secretariat and supported by China (People’s Republic of); and
o the WCO Supply Chain Integrity Project, presented and supported by Australia.
The Conference concluded successfully, advancing many regional initiatives and providing a valuable opportunity for interaction between Members and the Secretary General in advance of this year’s WCO Council meeting.
As the newest member to the WCO, attending this face to face meeting really opens the door to numerous opportunities for Palau to engage in knowledge sharing and benefit from capacity-building support, and international cooperation, enabling it to be a more active participant in global efforts to facilitate trade and ensure supply chain security through effective and efficient Customs administration.
“We are thrilled to welcome Palau into the international Customs family,” said Ian Saunders, Secretary General of the WCO. “Palau’s unique geographic and cultural characteristics bring a valuable and diverse perspective to our Organization. In line with the theme of this year, this new partnership will infuse our efforts with fresh insights and push us to seek for innovative solutions to better serve Members. We look forward to working closely together in the years to come.”