The World Customs Organization (WCO) participated in the 30th Anniversary of the International Federation of Customs Brokers Association (IFCBA), held in Singapore, on 12 and 13 December 2022. The conference brought together 45 customs brokers from Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, representing countries at different levels of development, with large and small companies, whose experience in using the Harmonized System (HS) is also quite different.
In his opening speech, the Secretary General of the WCO, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, congratulated the organisers of the Global Conference and extended his best wishes on the IFCBA’s 30th anniversary. Dr. Mikuriya expressed his appreciation for the role of customs brokers worldwide and also for the contribution of business operators to customs work.
The WCO official launch of the study on the possible strategic review of the HS, in September 2022, was in the spotlight of the Conference. In this respect, the Secretary of the IFCBA, Ms. Carol West, shared the consolidated results of the replies of the IFCBA’s members to the survey.
The IFCBA includes HS expert practitioners who are committed to the progress of the HS strategic review project and who have substantially contributed already to the “WCO Global Conference for the future of the HS”, held in Brussels, in May 2019.
The WCO Secretariat represented by a WCO project officer, whose participation was funded by the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) of China, expressed its appreciation and assured that IFCBA’s input would be reflected in the study for the WCO members’ consideration. Furthermore, she updated the customs brokers on the progress of the study, since its launch, addressed the comments expressed and discussed the points raised by the participants.
Finally, within the framework of the Conference, the Chairperson of the WCO Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG), Mr. Jaime King and the Chairperson of the Asia-Pacific Private Sector Group, Mr. Kit Hickey, provided information on their main achievements over the past few years as a result of the opportunities provided by the WCO for the engagement with the private sector.
For more information, please contact project.HSStudy@wcoomd.org.
16 December 2022